Post WWII Constitutional Changes that Changed the Country Forever

Japan's World War II defeat left the country ravaged. Between the in economic wasteland, the mass destruction that plagued cities up and down the Japanese islands, and the emotional and physical exhaustion and pain that the Japanese citizens felt, the country had little to stand on. Understandably, the Japanese feared the worse upon their defeat and look on the American occupation of their country with little hope. However, that mindset was quickly changed when American occupation leaders made it clear what their goal was for Japan. Instead of leaving Japan as a defeated and humiliated country, the American's sought to reform the Japanese political system, the Japanese economy, and certain areas of society which they thought lead to the militaristic thinking that caused the Pacific War. Of these changes, one had an astounding impact on Japan, the Japanese drafted - American modeled, constitution.

The new constitution enacted the political reforms that the American occupation sought, but one of the most amazing aspects of this constitution is that it is still in place today. Officially the new constitution was enacted on May 1, 1947 with endorsement from the Emperor, the Diet had passed it in November of the year before. It received massive support from the people, one of the reasons for its lasting power.

The first of the changes to be discussed was the right to vote. The previous constitution was one drafted during the Meiji reformations, so naturally the government was structured differently. Those that were able to vote were men, and men of some stature at that (land owners from wealthy and/or influential families). However, the new constitution brought about voting rights both men and women, and there was no restriction on land ownership as to who could vote. Equality was one of the occupation's top priorities in Japan.

Sticking with this thought, the Japanese people were given more power, by placing sovereignty with them instead of its former holder, the Emperor. The people who hold the power to elect officials and to vote on bills and other policies; large scale imperial power was completely out. Instead, the Emperor was given a new place in society, he was to be looked on as the symbol of unity and of Japan. This made him more of a figurehead, yet allowed him to remain a part of Japanese government as Japanese tradition had been for ages.

Another victory for the people came in the form of basic right guarantees. Previously, Japanese citizens received no basic rights. During wartime Japan those seeming unsupportive of the war, or unsupportive of governmental powers could, and often were, imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Additionally, people were generally restricted as far as what jobs they could perform, and male dominance in both work and home was the way of Japan. Freedom of speech was unheard of, equality simply wasn't a thing of traditional Japan. However, years before the American occupation the Japanese public began asking for more protection and rights from their government. With the new constitution, they got it. A Bill of Rights established basic freedoms like those of religion, expression, the press, and association.[1]

A suggestion by the Japanese drafting committee that reviewed the American model of the new constitution suggested another change to government that remains in place to today. The bicameral legislature was devised in order to allow the people to elect the legislatures, and the parliament to select a prime minister. This broke up governmental powers so that there were more checks and balances. To this suggestion, General MacArthur agreed.

Lastly, the American drafted constitution sought to create a peaceful country. As such, the wrote in a clause specifying that force was not a part of Japanese foreign policy. It went on to state that Japan would not maintain a military, nor would it use war as a right, as it had formerly believed war to be.

While many of the constitutional changes enacted with the occupation seem radical for a society such as Japan, the Japanese were more than ready for change at the time of the U.S occupation. It is highly doubtful that any of the aforementioned government reforms would have made it far had the people not been up for, and supportive of the change. The Japanese could already see that their traditional ways had led them into disaster, one which left their country utterly destroyed. As such, the U.S-Japanese relationship was a very unique one. The two countries shared a goal that allowed the American occupation reforms go smoothly. It also ensured the lasting power of the new post-WWII constitution.

[1] Web Tycho, Module 5: Peace, Prosperity, and Stability, 1945-Present, 2007, ( UMUC database).