From General Douglas MacArthur came an order: henceforth all "who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest" and all "influential" members of nationalist (or terrorist) societies are to be barred from public office.
Premier Kijuro Shidehara was abed with a cold, but he was not as sick as his Government. MacArthur's order covered a majority of Shidehara's colleagues, and sent them scurrying to the Premier's bedside for counsel. Foreign Minister Shigeru Yoshida was assigned to ask the Allied Commander for clarification. Should the Cabinet resign en masse, merely eliminate its undesirables, or stay on as exempt?
MacArthur's...
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