Documents with Commentaries Part 4 Deliberations in the Imperial Diet
MacArthur issued a public statement concerning the Imperial Diet's deliberations on the Constitution. He said that it was imperative that "adequate time and opportunity be allowed for full discussion and consideration," that "the procedure followed assures complete legal continuity with the Constitution of 1889," and that the adoption of the Constitution "demonstrates that it affirmatively expresses the free will of the Japanese people." These three points were the same as the "Criteria for the Adoption of a New Japanese Constitution" that were set by the FEC on May 13. We see that the FEC had been repeatedly pressuring MacArthur, specifically that the process "express the free will of the Japanese people," which was also a provision of the Potsdam Declaration. In this statement, MacArthur declared that the current Diet established by a democratic election through the free will of the people was fully representative and was "qualified to express the will of the people" on constitutional matters.
| Actual Title of Source | Press Release: General MacArthur Issues Statement on Submission of Draft Constitution to Japanese Diet |
|---|---|
| Date | 21 June 1946 |
| Document Number | Soshireibu Shirei Oboegaki Rui [GHQ Directives and Memorandums], June 1946 |
| Repository (reproduction) | |
| Repository | National Diet Library |
| Note |
