GHQ
After the U.S. invasion of Japan in 1945, Japan was occupied by Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Douglas !McArthur. Within Japan this position became more commonly known as GHQ (General Headquarters). This arrangement of power continued until self-rule was re-established in 1952 by the Treaty of San Francisco.
Contents
Composition
History
The United States established GHQ to govern Japan during the occupation.
Hirohito was backed as the legitimate head of state, though he was forced to renounce godhood.
Specific wartime ministries were targetted and purged (i.e., banned from public sector). Largely though, the government was left as-is. As a result, the bureaucracy was effectively empowered.
In the political power vacuum, and amid a period of economic depression and hyperinflation, leftist grassroots leaders quickly gained influence. A Red Purge began in 1949, and earlier sanction were lifted from major right-wing politicians. Fiscal and economic policies also became a priority for GHQ, including major consessions.