Modern Japan Yoshida Shigeru

Modern Japan Yoshida Shigeru

Yoshida Shigeru was quite arguably the biggest key player in Japan's postwar politics. Not only was he the prime minister, as well as the foreign minister for most of the first decade of Japan's postwar period, but he also had a powerful group of political disciples known as the "Yoshida School". It was this group of LDP conservatives who dominated the political arena during the majority of the postwar period, even after Yoshida's fall from power in 1954.

Yoshida was one of the remaining conservatives who was not ousted from power by the Occupation. This is probably due to the fact that he very strongly opposed the militarists and their domination of the political system before, as well as during the war. Also, the military and the zaibatsu businessmen became the main victims of the purge; so many conservative pre-war bureaucrats were able to come back to power.

Yoshida's main objectives for Japan were intense economic growth, pacifism, and for Japan to be rather passive and inactive in the international arena. These objectives are set forth in what can be referred to as Yoshida's Doctrine, which basically states three different guidelines made by Yoshida for Japan to gain power and growth. They are the following:

1. Economic restoration of Japan is the number one goal; and this will be attained in part through cooperation with the U.S., both politically as well as economically.

2. Japan remains slightly armed and steps out of international conflicts.

3. Japan provides bases for U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. (paraphrased from Pyle, p.235)

Yoshida was strongly opposed to any military re-armament, but in order to pacify Dulles and end the Occupation it was necessary to make minimal concessions. He had the support of General MacArthur in his position. In the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty of 1951, Yoshida agreed to: 1. Give military bases to U.S.; 2. U.S. had the right to not allow the military presence of any other country in Japan; 3. U.S. had the right to intervene in any domestic conflicts in Japan; 4. U.S. had the right to use military power from any of their bases in Japan without first gaining the consent of Japan; and 5. This treaty had an indefinite time period (Pyle, 235, 236).

Several of the subsequent Prime Ministers after Yoshida were of the "Yoshida School" and thus followed the guidelines of the Yoshida Doctrine in their efforts to improve Japan's economy, as well as to prevent any re-armament on the part of Japan.