Le Procès de Tôkyô, l’empereur et la question du Yasukuni

In Japan, a part of the conservative political class continues to deny the conclusions of the Tokyo trial, as a justice “of the victors”. But the proponents of this theory face a contradiction since the Emperor Hirohito himself expressed his gratitude to the American occupation authority (SCAP) for...

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Main Author: Tetsuya Takahashi
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: L’Harmattan 2009-10-01
Series:Droit et Cultures
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/droitcultures/2027
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author Tetsuya Takahashi
author_facet Tetsuya Takahashi
author_sort Tetsuya Takahashi
collection DOAJ
description In Japan, a part of the conservative political class continues to deny the conclusions of the Tokyo trial, as a justice “of the victors”. But the proponents of this theory face a contradiction since the Emperor Hirohito himself expressed his gratitude to the American occupation authority (SCAP) for not condemning him. Hirohito therefore admitted the conclusions of the trial. The paradox goes even further as the conservative leaders publicize their visit to Yasukuni shrine although the Emperor himself ceased to visit the shrine after top leaders convicted as war criminals at the Tokyo Trial were transferred to the shrine without his consent. These internal contradictions among Japanese rightists help to consider the Tokyo Trial under a different light. Far from being a simple “victor’s justice”, the U.S. strategy was highly beneficial to Japanese rightists: as Hirohito was not indicted, it was possible to establish him as a symbol of the nation by Article I of the new Constitution of 1946. This enabled the conservative camp to save the imperial system and ensure continuity between prewar and postwar Japan.
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spelling doaj.art-2c8e19fe59e34162b7afcf7b0fa79d072022-12-21T17:15:55ZfraL’HarmattanDroit et Cultures0247-97882109-94212009-10-01582128Le Procès de Tôkyô, l’empereur et la question du YasukuniTetsuya TakahashiIn Japan, a part of the conservative political class continues to deny the conclusions of the Tokyo trial, as a justice “of the victors”. But the proponents of this theory face a contradiction since the Emperor Hirohito himself expressed his gratitude to the American occupation authority (SCAP) for not condemning him. Hirohito therefore admitted the conclusions of the trial. The paradox goes even further as the conservative leaders publicize their visit to Yasukuni shrine although the Emperor himself ceased to visit the shrine after top leaders convicted as war criminals at the Tokyo Trial were transferred to the shrine without his consent. These internal contradictions among Japanese rightists help to consider the Tokyo Trial under a different light. Far from being a simple “victor’s justice”, the U.S. strategy was highly beneficial to Japanese rightists: as Hirohito was not indicted, it was possible to establish him as a symbol of the nation by Article I of the new Constitution of 1946. This enabled the conservative camp to save the imperial system and ensure continuity between prewar and postwar Japan.http://journals.openedition.org/droitcultures/2027HirohitoJapanOkinawaTokyo trialUS-Japan Security Treatywar criminals
spellingShingle Tetsuya Takahashi
Le Procès de Tôkyô, l’empereur et la question du Yasukuni
Droit et Cultures
Hirohito
Japan
Okinawa
Tokyo trial
US-Japan Security Treaty
war criminals
title Le Procès de Tôkyô, l’empereur et la question du Yasukuni
title_full Le Procès de Tôkyô, l’empereur et la question du Yasukuni
title_fullStr Le Procès de Tôkyô, l’empereur et la question du Yasukuni
title_full_unstemmed Le Procès de Tôkyô, l’empereur et la question du Yasukuni
title_short Le Procès de Tôkyô, l’empereur et la question du Yasukuni
title_sort le proces de tokyo l empereur et la question du yasukuni
topic Hirohito
Japan
Okinawa
Tokyo trial
US-Japan Security Treaty
war criminals
url http://journals.openedition.org/droitcultures/2027
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