THE ACTIVE PROMOTION of human rights quickly became an intrinsic part of the post-war Occupation of Japan and would remain firmly embedded within the nation's social and political fabric during the three succeeding generations. Portions of this objective had been expressed in general terms during the war through Allied statements and at international conferences designed to think through what the future might hold for a defeated Japan and a wrecked Asia. By as early as December 1942 delegates were already being challenged to consider possible ways for gaining a peace that could avoid past mistakes and asked how best to achieve a ‘practical program’ that could establish ‘conditions of racial, political and economic justice and welfare?’

In the process human rights became a war aim. All Allied governments, without exception, professed a belief in their promotion; equally, all Allied governments had their private doubts as to how, when and where such unprecedented issues might be realized on the ground. Criticisms of each other persisted both with regard to domestic behaviour and in connection with future developments by the powers responsible for confronting what would follow from Imperial Japan's unconditional surrender across the region.

There were also serious and plentiful differences within the various American organizations preparing slowly, until the summer of 1945, for what was widely assumed to be no more than a distant occupation. Prior to the successful detonation of the atomic bomb in New Mexico in July 1945, any defeat of Japan was held to require a lengthy and mighty combination of total blockade of the archipelago, aerial bombardments of its cities, massive amphibian landings on Kyushu and much fighting within Manchuria, China proper and South-East Asia before Tokyo might eventually submit.