Q: What effect did this have on the Japanese people's sense of
responsibility for the war, the fact that the Emperor did not step down?
YOSHIDA: What MacArthur indicated to Japanese people as far as his
understanding of Japanese history is as follows: "Only a handful of criminal
minded military personnel are the most responsible for the invasion and
occupation. They led the Emperor and his subjects through a blind alley without
informing them of the truth. Therefore, they are also the victims fooled by the
military."
His expression of his understanding of Japanese history was very comforting and
acceptable to the Japanese population. As a result, without the thought of the
fact that Japan as a country was responsible for the war, or Japan was the
aggressor, the Japanese people began to believe that they were the victims of
the war.
If the Emperor abdicated, it woud have been possible that more serious
arguments could have been brought forth regarding the Emperor's war
responsibilities. But by not pursuing the Emperor as the supreme head of the
country and being responsible for the war more seriously, the subject of his
war responsibilities was, in fact, shelved away among the Japanese.
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