Reply #181: The Problem With All Of This, Ma'am [View All]

[The Magistrate]

Is that it ignores the one true pre-requisite for Japanese surrender, from the point of view of the Japanese military leadership, particularly the Army leadership, which was an open, public statement by the Emperor that He demanded an end to the war on the terms available. This is what the use of the atomic bombs produced, and without it, the war would not have ended when it did. The firebombing of Tokyo the previous March had indeed moved the Emperor to see to the construction of a new Cabinet that would seek terms from the Allies, but this was done serreptitiously, in full knowledge that if the Army command learned it was being done, assassination of cabinet members by nationalist officers would be certain to occur, and a coup to 'save the Emperor from the traitorous counselors' quite probable.

Nor was the 'retaining the Emperor' granted by Gen. MacArthur anything remotely resembling the 'retaining the Emperor' envisioned in the cabinet's peace-feelers post April 1945. These latter meant retaining the whole structure of the Meiji constitution, in which the Emperor was Supreme Executive, and the armed forces held a privileged place in government: the former reduced the emperor to cerimonial status only, and abolished the military in a new constitution.