Official Statement by GHQ Supreme Commander MacArthur on the Abolition of Kanji

Abstract

During the Allied Occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1952, the nation's language policy (known as kokugo seisaku) underwent a major turning point. Notably, Chapter 2 of the Report of the United States Education Mission to Japan, submitted to General MacArthur in March 1946, titled “Reform of the National Language,” outlined groundbreaking recommendations for that time, including restrictions on the use of Chinese characters (kanji) and the introduction of the Roman alphabet. Against this backdrop, a widely circulated view emerged—that GHQ and MacArthur actively promoted the abolition of kanji and the romanization of the Japanese language. This view has been supported by some scholars in the field of Japanese linguistics.

This paper aims to demonstrate, based on primary sources and prior research, that such commonly held beliefs lack sufficient evidentiary support. Specifically, in order to clarify what MacArthur’s official stance on language policy actually was, this study presents an image of a primary document from the U.S. Department of State that records his official statement at the time. This document will serve as an important clue for reexamining the intent behind Occupation-era policies based on historical evidence.