After the war, two committees set up by the Japanese government proposed only small changes to the 1889 constitution. General Douglas MacArthur, on 4 Feb 1946, set up a constitutional assembly of 24 westerners headed by Charles Louis Kades. This commi...
After the war, two committees set up by the Japanese government proposed only small changes to the 1889 constitution. General Douglas MacArthur, on 4 Feb 1946, set up a constitutional assembly of 24 westerners headed by Charles Louis Kades. This committee completed a draft. With minor changes, the document became the new Constitution on 3 Nov 1946. One of the most striking features of the Constitution is its pacifist doctrine in Art. 9. But in the process of making new constitution, especially Art. 9 .Japanese revisionists today asserted that General Douglas MacArthur unilaterally forced Japanese government to accept his idea. They have regarded Japanese Constitution as the constitution under constraint so called "oshituke kempou" MacArthur said, however, not I but Shidehara first proposed Art. 9. If his message is true, the Constitution was not unilaterally forced. In this theses, I concluded it's not only MacArthur but also Shidehara that made Art, 9 by analyzing several testimonies.