ABSTRACT
The war in the Pacific had been expected to last well into 1946. The capitulation of Japan after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, therefore, found the allies, including Britain, unprepared for the occupation. Wartime planning for what would be required after the Japanese surrender had not developed very far. The same was perhaps true of the United States, but the difference was that the United States had vast resources available in the Pacific, which could quickly be switched to occupation duties. Britain had few resources available, and the main British interest was to secure the colonies. Japan was fairly low down the list of British priorities. One of the few areas to which the British had given some attention was the question of the Emperor; on the whole British officials, especially those who had served in Japan, thought that the Emperor should be retained. 1
