This immaturity is particularly noticeable in the realm of Japanese diplomacy. In order to gain popularity among the electorate, Japanese politicians play up Japan's role in the world as being important and even decisive, which, however, is not substantiated by facts. The majority of the Japanese do think and hope that Japan should by now be playing a leading part in Asia, at least, and government leaders come out with high-sounding slogans such as "activization of Japan's Asian diplomacy," in order to pander to popular demands. These slogans, not being backed by Japan's own actions or capabilities, sooner or later die a natural death. There is a curious mixture of wishful thinking and aspiration which betrays the immaturity of the Japanese mind.
Coming back to General MacArthur once again, it must not be forgotten that he was ruling a country whose people were laid prostrate by their defeat in the war. Japan had never before in her long history been beaten in a foreign war; the country's geographical position is such that it had been singularly free from foreign invasion. In the 12th century the Mongol hordes tried to invade Japan by deploying a large force, but they were thwarted in the adventure by a storm which broke out over the Straits of Korea, which is ten times the width of the Straits of Dover. In the wake of the Pacific War then, Japanese sense of security and invincibility was rudely shattered by their disastrous defeat, and the loss of confidence in themselves was complete.
Under these circumstances the Supreme Commander of the American occupation forces had an exceedingly easy task and encountered no resistance at all from any quarter. To the Japanese it was as though their emperor, to whom they had owed absolute allegiance, was suddenly replaced by General MacArthur. It was said in the early days of the occupation that a crying child was lulled to silence when told that an American soldier was around. During the occupation I once saw a huge crowd gathering in front of a theater in a remote provincial town. There was a big sign board reading "All Nude Show by the special permission of the Occupation Forces."
It was easy to see that whenever General MacArthur talked to a Japanese there was no dissenting voice. He was always met by the Japanese, who merely nodded an assent, even when his directives or suggestions seemed high handed and unreasonable. The General might well have con eluded that the Japanese were a childish people who were incapable of talking back or asserting their rights.
Almost 15 years after the end of the occupation, the Japanese are at last beginning to feel, in a vague way, that theirs after all is not a nation to be ashamed of, and attention is once again being focused on "Japan" as the central value of the Japanese. But there is as yet no precise indication as to what in or about Japan is to serve as a national goal.
There was the time immediately following the surrender when the hoisting of the rising sun national flag was deemed an undesirable and even shameful act. In fact, any symbols of Japan were discarded in toto, including singing of the national anthem. The reawakening of nationalism in postwar Japan, however, is not likely to lead to the resurgence of the extreme right wing as was the case in prewar years. The popular Japanese mood is too pacifist to allow the rightists to assert themselves.
Today many Japanese are still dubious about the extent of their own achievements and capabilities, and are convinced that the West is superior to them in many ways. But the Japanese will gradually regain the confidence which was shattered by their disastrous defeat in the war, thereby attaining greater maturity in their conduct as well as in their thinking.
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