The Only Disobediant Japanese Under the Occupation

SHIRASU Jirou

Japanese novelist KON Hidemi, described SHIRASU Jirou (1902 ~ 1985) as “a well-bred, natural-born barbarian.” He was handsome, stood at 185cm, tall for a Japanese, and was the first man to wear jeans in Japan. He loved and drove a Porsche car at a time when such cars were rarely seen, and enjoyed playing golf. On the other hand, he is also known as a man who scolded General Douglas McARTHUR, the American commander of the Allied General Headquarters (GHQ).

On the first Christmas day after the war ended, Shirasu delivered a present from the Japanese Emperor to General McArthur. There were already many presents piled up on his desk. General McArthur pointed at the floor, saying “Leave it somewhere around there.” Shirasu’s face changed color and he shouted, “The Emperor once governed Japan! How can you say to leave his present on the floor?” and he almost took it back. Confused, General McArthur apologized and prepared a new table for the Emperor’s present.

“Japan lost the war; it did not become a slave,” said Shirasu, who placed importance on principles. Shirasu was born into a wealthy family, and after graduating from Cambridge University in Britain, he began working as a trading company employee. Afterwards, he became a close adviser to Prime Minister YOSHIDA Shigeru. In 1948, he took up the post of the first Chief Director of Trading Agency established in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (currently the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry). He advocated the necessity for Japan to convert its industrial policy to take more initiative in exporting, which he believed was the way for a resource-poor country like Japan to survive.

A Man who Always Placed Importance on Principles
In 195l, a peace conference was held in San Francisco with the aim to end the state of war between Japan and the United Nations, and to rebuild Japan into a sovereign nation. Two days before the conference began, Shirasu was astonished to see the English-language manuscript that then Prime Minister Yoshida was going to use to make a speech. The manuscript was prepared by GHQ and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shirasu said, “We should attend the peace conference in the same capacity as representatives of victorious countries. What a fool you are to write a speech you will give on such a glorious day in their language and after consulting with the victors!” He subsequently advised Prime Minister Yoshida to rewrite the speech in Japanese and from the perspective of Japan still being an independent country. MIYAZAWA Kiichi, who went with him and who later became Prime Minister, later recalled that Shirasu shed tears when he saw Yoshida giving his speech in Japanese.

An executive at GHQ spoke of Shirasu as “the only Japanese who is not obedient under occupation.” There is no end to episodes of this nature about Shirasu. In the washroom of the golf country club at which Shirasu was working as a director, there was a notice on the wall saying “Taking towels is forbidden.” In spite of the words, former Prime Minister TANAKA Kakuei disregarded it, Shirasu said to him, “Hey you, can’t you read Japanese?” Shirasu died at the age of 83. In his will he wrote “There is no need for a funeral, no need of Buddhist name.” His wife, SHIRASU Masako was a writer and essayist.

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