In traditional Japanese culture, the victor is always right and the loser is wrong, is shamed and must go down.
MacArthur understood Japan. He was given carte blanche as the former Supreme Allied Commander to rule over occupied Japan for 6 years. He raised the Japanese from the position of "loser" and treated them with so much respect, justice and insightful integrity that instead of becoming embittered losing enemy (which is 100% what traditional Japanese culture required), they were raised up, learned to rebuild and find value.
As one example, MacArthur was pushed and told by DC etc in Washington to treat the Emperor in a certain way (force him to come to you, show that he must bow, etc). MacArthur did the opposite. He waited until the Emperor came to him in the due course of time, and treated him with respect, making him a valuable ally for the accomplishment of the rebuild. The West saw the Emperor as a war criminal, but MacArthur knew the truth, that the Emperor in Japan was a figurehead and puppet, not the architect of the war machine.
MacArthur was instrumental in the design and drafting of the constitution of Japan, too.
Gen MacArthur was key, was instrumental in making Japan the Japan it has been since the war. He embodied all the best of America, and none of the establishment (the worst). The respect that Japan developed for America largely exists because God found it fit to make Douglas MacArthur their pseudo-ruler for 6 years following their most devastation historical defeat.
To a great extent, you can thank General Douglas MacArthur for that.
we were an honored enemy in 1945 and a lot of that never wore off.
In traditional Japanese culture, the victor is always right and the loser is wrong, is shamed and must go down.
MacArthur understood Japan. He was given carte blanche as the former Supreme Allied Commander to rule over occupied Japan for 6 years. He raised the Japanese from the position of "loser" and treated them with so much respect, justice and insightful integrity that instead of becoming embittered losing enemy (which is 100% what traditional Japanese culture required), they were raised up, learned to rebuild and find value.
As one example, MacArthur was pushed and told by DC etc in Washington to treat the Emperor in a certain way (force him to come to you, show that he must bow, etc). MacArthur did the opposite. He waited until the Emperor came to him in the due course of time, and treated him with respect, making him a valuable ally for the accomplishment of the rebuild. The West saw the Emperor as a war criminal, but MacArthur knew the truth, that the Emperor in Japan was a figurehead and puppet, not the architect of the war machine.
MacArthur was instrumental in the design and drafting of the constitution of Japan, too.
Gen MacArthur was key, was instrumental in making Japan the Japan it has been since the war. He embodied all the best of America, and none of the establishment (the worst). The respect that Japan developed for America largely exists because God found it fit to make Douglas MacArthur their pseudo-ruler for 6 years following their most devastation historical defeat.
nice, thank you.