The United States Government has approved the establishment of a
Far Eastern Advisory Commission to make recommendations to the
participating governments:
As the attitude of military government toward the Emperor is a
problem directly concerned with “the instruments to carry out
the terms imposed upon Japan”, it is suggested that if this question is
raised, discussion on the matter be referred to the Far Eastern
Advisory Commission.
The attitude to be taken by military government toward the
Emperor has been formulated and approved by the Department of
State and is submitted in general outline in the attached
appendix.
[Appendix]
top secret
[The Position of the
Emperor in Japan]
i. apprehension of the emperor
The Department of State has recommended that immediately upon
the unconditional surrender or total defeat of Japan, the constitutional
powers of the Emperor should be suspended. It has further
recommended that if it is politically practicable and
physically possible the Emperor and his immediate family
should be placed under protective custody in a detached
palace outside of Tokyo. He should be kept in seclusion, but
his personal advisers should be allowed to have access to
him under reasonable conditions.
[Page 886]
ii. the emperor and instrument of
unconditional surrender
The Department of State has also recommended, and the Joint
Chiefs of Staff have tentatively concurred,2 that:
- (1)
- The Emperor should proclaim that Japan has surrendered
unconditionally to the United Nations at war with
Japan and
should command the armed forces and people of
Japan to
cease hostilities forthwith and to comply with all
requirements imposed by the designated commander for
Japan.
- (2)
- The Emperor should also command all civil and
military officials to obey and enforce all orders
and directives issued by the designated commander
for Japan and
direct them to remain at their posts and to perform
their duties until specifically relieved by the
designated commander.
- (3)
- The Emperor, as well as the highest available
representative of the Japanese High Command, should
sign and seal the instrument of unconditional
surrender.
- (4)
- If the several requirements as to the
acknowledgment of unconditional surrender by the
Emperor are not fulfilled, the designated commander
may receive the unconditional surrender of Japan by the highest
military authorities of Japan or he may by proclamation take
over supreme authority of Japan.
iii. removal of emperor from japan
The Department of State believes that the occupation forces
should not threaten to remove the Emperor from Japan, but if for any reason
they feel that his removal is advisable, the Department of
State should be given an opportunity to express its opinion
before such action is taken.
iv. in the absence of the emperor
If the Emperor escapes from Japan or cannot be found, the occupation
authorities should:
- (a)
- Notify the Japanese people that, so long as these
conditions obtain, the occupation authorities will
consider any action of the Emperor without
validity.
- (b)
- Make no statement that the Emperor has abdicated
unless the Emperor himself makes such an
announcement or a regency is set up.
- (c)
- Take no initiative in choosing a successor to the
throne.
v. institution of the emperor
Since the Japanese at present show an almost fanatical
devotion to their sovereign, an attempt from the outside to
abolish the institution of the Emperor, would, so long as
the present attitude of the Japanese continues, probably be
ineffective. The mere dethronement of the Emperor against
the will of the Japanese people would not accomplish the
abolition of the emperorship nor could it probably be
[Page 887]
effectively
legislated out of existence so long as the Japanese believed
in it and were determined to maintain it. Under these
circumstances the indefinite occupation of Japan might be necessary if
the United Nations wished to prevent the revival of the
institution of the Emperor.
To assure that the treatment of the Emperor by the occupation
authorities does not prejudice the continuance of the
institution of the Emperor against the will of the Japanese
people, the occupation authorities should in all their
treatment of and their contacts with the Emperor refrain
from any action which would imply recognition of or support
for the Japanese concept that the Japanese Emperor is
different from and superior to other temporal rulers, that
he is of divine origin and that he is indispensable. They
should permit absolute freedom of discussion, except where
there may be incitement to breaches of the peace, of
political as well as other subjects.
vi. attitudes towards the
emperorship
There are indications that the Chinese may favor the
abolition of the institution of the Emperor and public
opinion in the United States increasingly seems to prefer
this solution. On the other hand, it is questionable whether
the British would support such a policy. As for the Soviet
Union, their attitude on the matter is not known.
[
Washington
,] July 3, 1945.
