Opinion of Macarthur's administration of Japan?

[lfromnj]

Macarthur's administration of Japan is one of the most interesting periods of history. On one hand he took he a relatively off hand approach and helped guide Japan into a stable democracy while also staving off mass famine by correctly giving aid in a war-torn country.

On the other hand he did let Hirohito and Unit 731 off and may have been a key factor in why Japan hasn't fully apologized for its crimes during the war.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Massive FF. I wouldn't have done a significant number of things differently if I was in his shoes.
It's no accident that Japanese people who remember the time that "gaijin shogun" had supreme overlordship over their country tend to regard him quite favorably.

[gerritcole]

Gaijin shogun

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

Hirohito should have been treated as a criminal. Unforgiveable that Macarthur did not treat him as such.

[TDAS04]

Mostly good, pretty impressive.

[Kleine Scheiße]

Well GeneralMacarthur is a controversial poster to say the least

[PSOL]

Destroyed any chance at a free and prosperous Japan in ideal and ever present in the long term. All of Japan’s modern problems lie with the structuring of a ghastly protectorate against the will of the people.

[NewYorkExpress]

Should have executed Hirohito, otherwise did fine.

[LBJer]

Should have executed Hirohito, otherwise did fine.

The U.S. wanted Japan to become reconciled to its defeat and to become an American ally.  Executing Hirohito would have been possibly the worst thing it could have done as far as sabotaging these goals.

This argument reminds me of the "We should have executed Jefferson Davis" claim on another thread. 

[NewYorkExpress]

Should have executed Hirohito, otherwise did fine.

The U.S. wanted Japan to become reconciled to its defeat and to become an American ally.  Executing Hirohito would have been possibly the worst thing it could have done as far as sabotaging these goals.

This argument reminds me of the "We should have executed Jefferson Davis" claim on another thread. 

I'm not entirely sure Japan has been reconciled to it's defeat in World War II, and a lot of that had to do with the fact Hirohito was left alive and on the throne.

[LBJer]

Should have executed Hirohito, otherwise did fine.

The U.S. wanted Japan to become reconciled to its defeat and to become an American ally.  Executing Hirohito would have been possibly the worst thing it could have done as far as sabotaging these goals.

This argument reminds me of the "We should have executed Jefferson Davis" claim on another thread. 

I'm not entirely sure Japan has been reconciled to it's defeat in World War II, and a lot of that had to do with the fact Hirohito was left alive and on the throne.

Well if he had been executed, it would have been far less reconciled than it is. 

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Mishima Yukio, himself not exactly someone who was "reconciled to Japan's defeat", said several times during his career that Hirohito should have abdicated to take responsibility for Japan's war dead. Akihito was eleven years old at the time of the surrender and could easily have been groomed into a "normal" constitutional monarch like the Windsors or the Orange-Nassaus,* rather than the bizarre "completely powerless even on paper BUT icons and ideal-types to the revisionist far right BUT totally uninterested in rightist politics themselves BUT who the hell knows because the Imperial Household Agency schedules their every bathroom break anyway" chimera that the Imperial House actually ended up as. Keeping Hirohito around and executing him were not the only options!

*Possibly even with MacArthur as Regent, a post with a long, long history in Japanese court politics.

[lfromnj]

Mishima Yukio, himself not exactly someone who was "reconciled to Japan's defeat", said several times during his career that Hirohito should have abdicated to take responsibility for Japan's war dead. Akihito was eleven years old at the time of the surrender and could easily have been groomed into a "normal" constitutional monarch like the Windsors or the Orange-Nassaus,* rather than the bizarre "completely powerless even on paper BUT icons and ideal-types to the revisionist far right BUT totally uninterested in rightist politics themselves BUT who the hell knows because the Imperial Household Agency schedules their every bathroom break anyway" chimera that the Imperial House actually ended up as. Keeping Hirohito around and executing him were not the only options!

*Possibly even with MacArthur as Regent, a post with a long, long history in Japanese court politics.

Yeah, I don't think macarthur should have been regent, that sounds too weird but thats what I would have supported as well. Plenty of other European monarchs abdicated to their sons during and after the war. Execution is what Hirohitho deserved morally speaking.

Ooh the only other issue I have with Macarthurs Japan is the permanent no military clause . This is more of a hindsight one but having a Japanese navy and army akin to the 1980 West Germany one would be an incredibly useful counterweight for Taiwan.  I can understand disarming Japan vs Germany though. In Japan the main factor was definetely the military being aggressive that caused its expansionist route. Although the Wehrmacht was not even close to clean they were not the catalyst that caused German expansionism.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Massive FF, Yes letting Hirotho off was a massive mistake but the occupation achived it's fundamental goal. It rebuilt japan into a prosperous,democratic country with a strong pacafist streaks which is a fundamentally huge achievement that outshines letting a few criminals off free.