At 10:00 in the morning of March 4, 1946, Minister of State Joji Matsumoto submitted the Japanese government's March 2nd proposal to Brigadier General Whitney. GHQ split the work with the relevant officials from the Japanese government and started work on translating the Japanese proposal and explanatory notes into English. As the translation was being completed, the staff at GHQ found differences between the GHQ Draft and the Japanese draft, resulting in severe arguments between Colonel Kades and Matsumoto. Matsumoto left GHQ early in the afternoon explaining that he needed to attend a gathering of Cabinet ministers to discuss the economy.
The first stage of the translation of the Japanese government draft was reached that evening, when the staff at GHQ indicated they would continue efforts to firm up the draft. Then they began article by article discussions with Tatsuo Sato, Director of the First Department of the Bureau of Legislation and his staff, which started about 8:30 in the evening and lasted all night. As discussions were completed on each part of the draft they were taken to the official residence of the Prime Minister where on March 5 the Cabinet reviewed them as they arrived. Work on the proposal at GHQ was completed about 4:00 in the afternoon of the fifth and resulted in the "March 5th Proposal". The Cabinet made their decision to comply with this proposal, and at about 5:00 they went to the Imperial palace to present it to the Emperor.
The document "Details of Events at GHQ on March 4 and 5" is a faithful rendering by Tatsuo Sato of the events and deliberations that went on at GHQ covering the period from the fourth to the fifth. The second document from the top is a collection of the writings which were delivered to the Prime Minister's official residence one by one after discussion on each part was completed at GHQ and were to be printed for the Cabinet meeting to review them.
| Actual Title of Source | Sangatsu Shi, Go Ryojitsu Shimeibu ni okeru Tenmatsu |
|---|---|
| Date | March 1946 |
| Document Number | Irie Toshio Papers: 15 |
| Repository (reproduction) | |
| Repository | National Diet Library |
| Note |
| Actual Title of Source | Nihonkoku Kenpo |
|---|---|
| Date | [March 5, 1946] |
| Document Number | Sato Tatsuo Papers: 40 |
| Repository (reproduction) | |
| Repository | National Diet Library |
| Note | This text was printed for distribution to the Cabinet meeting after the negotiations with GHQ. |
| Actual Title of Source | Nihonkoku Kenpo (Sangatsu Itsuka An) |
|---|---|
| Date | [March 5, 1946] |
| Document Number | Sato Tatsuo Papers: 41 |
| Repository (reproduction) | |
| Repository | National Diet Library |
| Note | This document was distributed to the Cabinet meeting. |
