What do you think would happen if the US suddenly decided that the Showa emperor actually had a role in the war, put him on trial and executed him? Would that lead toan abolition of the monarchy? Or a communist revolution in the 1950s?
I read a while ago that the only thing that prevented this from happening was the firm stance of Macarthur, who wanted to preserve the Emperor's symbolic status and thus maintain Japan as a post-war ally for the United States.
The way I see it, without a symbolic leader(maybe Japan then becomes a presidential democracy?), communism would have a much greater appeal. This would be especially true if Hirohito had supported the "fight till we/they are all dead", which was the military's plan before and even after the atomic bombs were dropped. With a Ja´Japan wrecked from the invasion, suffering from famine and without a leader, i would expect a communist revolution between 1949 and 1960 at the latest.
I read a while ago that the only thing that prevented this from happening was the firm stance of Macarthur, who wanted to preserve the Emperor's symbolic status and thus maintain Japan as a post-war ally for the United States.
The way I see it, without a symbolic leader(maybe Japan then becomes a presidential democracy?), communism would have a much greater appeal. This would be especially true if Hirohito had supported the "fight till we/they are all dead", which was the military's plan before and even after the atomic bombs were dropped. With a Ja´Japan wrecked from the invasion, suffering from famine and without a leader, i would expect a communist revolution between 1949 and 1960 at the latest.