[Paal Gulli]

"The US was key to achieving WWII's Unconditional Surrender over Axis powers because we were then the world's economic power-house."

The country of Japan did not surrender unconditionally. The Potsdam Declaration only required that the Japanese armed forces surrender unconditionally, not the greater country.

"...We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action...."

MacArthur quietly gave the Japanese terms but publicly proclaimed it an "unconditional" surrender. Unlike Germany, after the war the government of Japan remained sovereign, independent, and largely intact. The Japanese Emperor remained on his throne and his subjects remained free to worship him despite his being coerced by MacArthur into publicly rejecting his own divinity.

Mac believed that the civil unrest that would follow forcing the Emperor to step down would have delayed the rebuilding of Japan by several years, and might well have led to more bloodshed on both sides. So he saw granting them terms as a necessary evil. At the same time he realized that his permissive attitude toward what many Americans would have considered pagan idolatry would not sit well back home. IF they found out. So he saw to it that they didn't.

Despite his probable complicity, the war crimes tribunal didn't go after the Emperor for the same reason that Mac left him on his throne. It was the cost of not re-igniting the war.

Mac also forced the government to cease its official support for the Shinto religion, yet 80% of Japanese today practice Shinto, so you can see how effective that was.

[BroJoeK]

Paal Gulli: "The country of Japan did not surrender unconditionally.
The Potsdam Declaration only required that the Japanese armed forces surrender unconditionally, not the greater country."

Thanks for a great post.
The same can be said of the Brits' unconditional surrender at Yorktown and Confederates' unconditional surrender at Appomattox Court House.
In fact, they were granted a number of conditions.

My point remains: US relative economic might today is not what it was then.

[SoCal Pubbie]

From the text of the surrender document signed by the Japanese representatives at the conclusion of hostilities:

“The authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government to rule the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate these terms of surrender.”

This clause determines complete subjugation of Japanese ruling authority to the military forces of the western allies. The German surrender document signed by Doenitz and Jodl contained no such language concerning post war government. Of course there was no functioning German government in April of 1945.

[21twelve]

Interesting post - thanks!

I am always amazed at how, in general, the Germans and Japanese are pretty good allies with us now. And even more amazing considering the different ways we handled them after the war.