Imgres

Japan Post-war Development

By dhampirzgal

  • Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, which finally ended the Pacific War

    Japan was then placed under the occupation of the Allied Powers. Thereafter, a reform process of demilitarisation and democratisation was put into action. But the work of drawing up policies for the governance of the Occupation had already begun before the war's end.

  • U.S. State of Department announced the "U.S. Initial Post-Surrender Policy for Japan"

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  • General Headquarters (GHQ) sent the Japanese Govenmenr "Removal of Restrcitions on Political, Civil and Religious Liberties" directive

    It was also dubbed as the "humanrights directive". This directive allowed free discussions about the Imperial system, repealing fifteen existing laws, including the Peace Preservation Law and the Thought Control Law (Idealogical Prisoner Custody and Surveillance Law), and releasing all political prisoners.
    [For a look at the memorandum, visit http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/img_l/M003/M003-001l.html]

  • GHQ issued a memorandum entitled "Elimination of War Profits and Reorganisation of National Finance"

    The purpose was to control the economy to keep the inflation in check, while simultaneously aiming at its demilitarisation.

  • The Labor Union Law was enacted

    [DATE IS NOT SPECIFIC]

  • GHQ issued two directives to the Japanese Government

    The two directives were "Abolition of Certain Political Parties, Associations, Societies, and Other Groups" and "Removal and Exclusion of Undesirable Personnel from Public Office". The latter listed seven different categories of undesirables, including war criminals, career Army and Navy personnel, and extreme nationalists, and ordered the purge of such individuals from the public office.

  • The Matsumoto Committee submitted it's "Outline of Constitution Revision"

    However, it was rejected by the GHQ and replaced by General Douglas MacArthur's draft proposal, which contained three principles: (a) the preservation of the Emperor System, (b) the total rejection of war, and (c) the abolition of the feudal system.
    [For a look at the drafts, visit http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/cha5/description06.html]

  • First postwar election

    The Japan Liberal Party won the most seats. Its leader, Hatoyama Ichiro, was to become the candidate to be the next Prime Minister.
    [For more information, visit http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/cha5/description04.html]
    [For a look at the report, visit http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/img_l/M005/M005-001l.html]

  • It was decided that the purge of undesirable personnel would apply to Hatoyama

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  • Hayotama was notified about the change in the decision even as he was expecting the call to form the next Cabinet

    After hurried discussions on his replacement, Yoshida Shigeru was selected to replace Hatoyama as the Liberal Party's designated Prime Minister.

  • The first Yoshida Shigeru Cabinet was formed

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  • Promulgation of the new Constitution of Japan

    The Shidehara Cabinet had pursued the task of constitutional reform right after the war but the eventual Government proposal for a new Constitution followed the outlines of the draft drawn up by GHQ. The Diet then conducted its deliberations based on it. The new Constitution rested on the principles of popular sovereignty and pacifism.

  • "The Purge of Undesirables from Public Office" was revised

    [IT IS NOT ACTUALLY 1 JAN; IT IS NOT STATED IN THE DOCUMENTS, THUS THE 1 JAN AS THE DATE]
    The scope now broadened to target people who had been engaged in local government and media. Since Ishibahi had been the head of the Toyo Keizai Shinposha before the war, he was being purged from the public office. Feeling it unjust, he submitted to Prime Minister Yoshida his letter of resignation as Minister of Finance.
    [For more information, visit http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/img_l/M012/M012-001l.html]

  • An election of the House of Representatives was held

    No party secured a majority. Katayama Testu, Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party, had won the most seats, then formed a coalition with the Democratic Party and the People's cooperative Party.

  • The issuance of Govenrment Ordinance #201

    [DATE IS NOT SPECIFIC]
    It was based on a directive from General MacArthur, which denied public servants the right to enter into collective bargaining and to strike.

  • Outbreak of Korean War

    [THE DATE IS NOT ACTUALLY 1 JUN; IT IS NOT STATED SPEFICALLY IN THE DOCUMENTS, THUS THE DATE]
    General Douglas MacArthur directed Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru to establish a National Police Reserve.

  • A directive from General MacArthue to Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru to purge all top Communist Party officials from public office

    [For a look at the letter, visit http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/img_l/M010/M010-001l.html]

  • The General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (Sohyo) was formed, centered on the Mindo

    [DATE IS NOT SPECIFIC]
    Sohyo then became the nucleus of the postwar labor movement in Japan, acting as the umbrella organisation for nearly half of all organised workers.

  • The San Francisco Peace Treaty and the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty was concluded

    [THE DATE IS NOT ACTUALLY 1 SEP; IT IS NOT SPECIFIED IN THE DOCUMENTS]

  • Signing of Treaty

    [For more information, visit http://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/cha5/description14.html]

  • Japan's place in the international community as an independent nation was restored following the treaty's rectification

    [DATE IS NOT SPECIFIED]