ABSTRACT
General MacArthur reigned over the Japanese government as a transcendental "giver of the law", and his headquarters staff, with unwavering confidence, strictly followed the orders that the Supreme Commander gave. But such political methods could not help but create conflict within the framework of the postwar international society. The publication of the Japanese government's draft summary on March 6, 1946, was a complete surprise to the State Department. On March 20 the Far Eastern Commission (FEC) decided by unanimous vote to dispatch the following inquiry to MacArthur. The Far Eastern Commission's requests for careful deliberations, for a postponement of the election, and for a representative to come to Washington to explain the situation of the draft constitution had all been rejected by MacArthur. The State Department had heard, meanwhile, that MacArthur intended to have the government's draft, that is, "a particular draft Constitution" passed by the Diet in two or three weeks.
