The Secret of Life

1945, Emperor Hirohito addressed the nation with a radio broadcast, stating that they had resolved “to pave the way for a grand peace for all generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering that is unsufferable.” In accordance with this decision, Japan formally signed surrender documents on September 2, 1945, acknowledging U.S. supremacy. This was no small decision for Japan, a nation that had long stood on a foundation of perceived superiority. Now, it had to stand on the foundation of realism. Instead of anti-foreign sentiments, Japan needed to find the secret to life through self-reflection. At that time, Japan was in ruins, its industries destroyed. General MacArthur, a “war criminal” in Japanese eyes, was placed in authority over Japan in violation of their sovereignty. In addition to losing Korea, Burma, Singapore, Taiwan, and other foreign possessions, Japan lost parts of its territory, including the islands of Karafuto and Okinawa. In 1946, the “MacArthur Constitution” was implemented, designed to keep Japan under the control of foreign powers. These circumstances represented the essence of “enduring the unendurable.” Many Japanese found it unbearable, leading some to take their own lives. According to an article in the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1984), many military extremists attempted to prevent Emperor Hirohito’s message from being broadcast. When they failed, several nationalists and military officers, feeling dishonoured, committed suicide: “There were a number of suicides among the