The Origins of Japan's Democratic Constitution

by McNelly, Theodore

• ISBN13: 9780761816362
• ISBN10: 0761816364
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-03-29
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

In The Origins of Japan's Democratic Constitution, Theodore McNelly describes and analyzes the American draft of Japan's postwar constitution, Japanese influences on the document, and its adoption by the Imperial Diet. Providing a general overview of the process of the enactment of the democratic constitution in Japan, McNelly then analyzes conflicts among rival Japanese groups, the effects of the war-ban provision on Japan's security, and General MacArthur's shifting views on the achievement of world peace. The Origins of Japan's Democratic Constitution addresses the argument regarding U.S. 'imposition' of the constitution on Japan with emphasis on the origins of the 'no-war, no-arms' clause as well as the ideological, strategic, and historical background of the clause. Written by a former member of MacArthur's staff in Tokyo, this book will be of interest to the general reader as well as specialists seeking hitherto unpublished information and interpretations of this significant historical event.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	xi
``Induced Revolution'': The Policy and and Process of Constitutional Reform in Occupied Japan	1	(30)
The Konoe Effort: International and Bureaucratic Politics	31	(24)
The ``Constitutional Convention'' in the Dai Ichi Building	55	(34)
The Role of Monarchy in the Political Modernization of Japan	89	(16)
General MacArthur and the Constitutional Disarmament of Japan	105	(24)
General MacArthur's Pacifism	129	(18)
Japan's ``Peace Constitution'' and World Politics	147	(24)
Epilogue	171	(4)
Appendix 1. The Potsdam Declaration	175	(2)
Appendix 2. The SCAP Draft Constitution	177	(14)
Notes	191	(26)
Index	217	(6)
About the Author	223