Chapter 83 Section IX

The Korean War affected Japan in various ways.After the outbreak of the war, Japan was used to serve the military operations of the United States. B-29 bombers took off from the American air base in Japan and Okinawa to attack the Korean battlefield.The equipment and supplies of the U.S. troops sent to the battlefield were purchased in Japan in large quantities.Just as the North Korean army and the Chinese army regard the Soviet Union behind them as a safe zone, for the US military, Japan is a safe "sacred place" for the US military. "The Korean War further exacerbated the political tension in the world, and the expansion of international armaments has made great progress; thanks to this, our country's export trade has also increased significantly. Moreover, the United States has also taken this war as a turning point to further strengthen its support to various regions in Asia. The support of the anti-communist regime. At the same time, it is trying to closely integrate this region with the anti-communist defense plan of the United States. The United States, which has always promoted the rapid self-reliance of Japan's economy, is now trying to use our country's industrial productivity centered on military production in this part of Asia. As a result, the economic circles of our country, which were on the verge of difficulty due to the deflationary policy implemented according to the Dodge plan before the Korean War, have finally recovered from that dilemma. I was freed from it.” (A Short History of Post-War Japan edited by Tadao Yanaihara and Yoshitake Oka)

When the United States first occupied Japan, it would devote itself to eliminating the old warlord forces and the monopoly capital colluding with them.During this period, the Cold War between the East and the West had not yet surfaced, and Japan was still developing in the direction of "democratization" with the support of the US military.Moreover, Japan emphasizes that it is the Switzerland of the East, and it must strictly abide by its neutrality and not attach itself to any camp, so that it can maintain its self-reliance forever. Japan abandoned this policy on its own and became part of the U.S. defense line because the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union intensified and the situation in the Far East changed accordingly.In any case, the United States had to face new changes in the communist forces in the Far East—the Soviet Union announced its possession of atomic bombs, the success of the Chinese revolution, and so on.Even though it is not yet known where it will take place, the "Korean War" has since become a phantom in the minds of the United States.

As early as 1948 (the 23rd year of the Showa era), the U.S. General Command gradually made preparations to deal with this phantom.First of all, drive out those who advocate innovation in the general headquarters, and then unify the policy according to the line of the intelligence department, which focuses on operations.In the early days of the occupation, radio stations sang "Politics of the People, by the People, and for the People" like a theme song, but now that tune has faded away, the rattle of army boots is almost heard again.The 180-degree turn of the U.S. military headquarters will of course be manifested as high pressure on the Japanese government, requiring Japan to change its domestic policy.

"Prior to this (in 1952), Dulles had successfully obtained a private letter from Prime Minister Yoshida of Japan, promising that Japan would never establish political and economic relations with the CCP. Such an agreement became The firm basis of irreconcilable hostility between Japan and her nearest and greatest neighbour." (Stone: The Secret History of the Korean War) This happened three years after the outbreak of the Korean War, but this movement was very active before the war started.In short, the United States must constantly make Japan feel nervous, and must also constantly instill in the Japanese people the idea of ​​fear of the red elements, which helps to make the Japanese people feel that "the United States is defending Japan."

The "Rastvolov Incident", the "Shikaji Mihashi Incident", and the "Seki Sanyo Incident" in Hokkaido all made people think about how the so-called communist forces carried out espionage activities in Japan. Be alert.However, the "Xiashan Incident", "Mitaka Incident", and "Matsukawa Incident" made people fear from the bottom of their hearts what kind of violent actions the extremists influenced by the communist ideology would commit.Moreover, the latter three events had the beneficial effect of purging the Communists from the state railway company.Once a war is fought, transportation is very important.In this case, rail transport itself is part of the strategy. "The response of the Japanese was outstanding. Not only did they give us moral and spiritual support for everything we did, but they stopped things like labor disputes and everything else that tends to happen in a democracy before I say a word." Friction.” (MacArthur: Veterans Don’t Die)

On the eve of the outbreak of the Korean War, the authorities successively took effective measures such as forcing the suspension of the "Chiqi Daily", depriving nine cadres of the Japanese Communist Party of their public office rights, and disbanding the Korean Union in Japan.As soon as the Korean War broke out, in order to eliminate anti-militarist ideas, a whirlwind of "red purge" was set off in the Japanese press and publishing industry. At the same time, Japan also created a national police reserve.In the second month after the outbreak of the Korean War, MacArthur sent a letter to Prime Minister Yoshida saying: "In order to effectively implement the countermeasures, those criminals who often break the law and disturb the law and order will have no room to take advantage of it." In addition to the 75,000 security forces, an additional 8,000 people were added.Subsequently, the United States also began to consider further strengthening the strength of the police reserve and maritime security forces, using them as the center to allow Japan to rearm its armaments and make Japan also serve the United States' anti-communist defense plan militarily.

Therefore, if the Korean War had not happened, there probably would not be the current Self-Defense Forces; even if there were, it would be much smaller than the current number.Moreover, I am afraid that there will be no such phenomenon today where the old Japanese army and navy generals serve as the leaders of the "military officer" of the Self-Defense Force and the Coastal Security Force.

---

Notes: