Shigeru Yoshida and Politics from Below
Conservative diplomat Shigeru Yoshida was thrust into the premiership in 1946-1947 after the US occupation forces blocked the ascendance of general election-winner Ichiro Hatoyama.
Tag Archives: Harry Truman
Kantaro Suzuki and Unconditional Surrender
The elderly Kantaro Suzuki served as prime minister for the spring and summer of 1945, hoping to guide the nation through the final disastrous stages of the Pacific War.
Gaslighting the Status Quo in the Taiwan Strait
Western nations have recently taken up a mantra that claims they will never allow “changes to the status quo by force,” but when it comes to the dangerous crisis in the Taiwan Strait, it’s not entirely clear that all Western commentators even understand what the diplomatic “status quo” is all about.
Importing the National Security State
The people who wrote this constitution lived in a world more dangerous than ours. They were surrounded by territory controlled by hostile powers, on the edge of a vast wilderness. Yet they understood that even in perilous times the strength of self-government was public debate and public consensus. To put aside these basic values out of fear, to imitate the foe in order to defeat him, is to shred the distinction that makes us different.
