Kojiro Kawaguchi

"Occupation of Japan"

In November 1945, I was assigned as an English instructor in the Civil Censorship School for Japanese Nationals at Fukuoka CCD. The school's mission was to improve the English language skills of the Japanese who worked for us. We only accepted Japanese Nationals who could already read and write English. After they graduated from our school, they were assigned to censor all means of Japanese communications. The Principal of the school was John Hammer, a War Department Civilian. Dr. John Hammer was the highest ranking civilian in Fukuoka as Principal of the school. John Hammer had been Professor of English at the Occidental College.

Our job was to train the Japanese to censor every form of communications in Japan and Korea; Japanese mail and packages, telephones, telegrams, radio broadcasts, newspapers and all stage plays and performances. Mail of Japanese on the "Black List" or Watch List was completely censored. Mail of other Japanese was censored on a random basis. The censorship was done to check on the pulse of the Japanese people. How was the occupation progressing? Were there any plots to resist or even fight back against the Occupation? Through censorship, MacArthur was kept informed of the Japanese public's reaction to the occupation.

From letters and all other forms of communication, we censored out reports about raping and stealing by U.S. and Allied Troops. These reports were censored so that resentment of our occupation could be kept to a minimum. Negative reports about the U.S. Troops' behavior in Japan received in large numbers were about a Paratroop Division stationed in northern section of Honshu, the main island, and in Sendai or the Northern Island of Hokkaido and the Marines in Kyushu. MIS Nisei assigned to ATIS in Tokyo were assigned on a temporary basis to the CID (Criminal Investigation Detachment) to investigate reported rapes and robberies by GIs in Northern Japan, and by Marines in Kyushu. It must be mentioned that on the whole, except for a few isolated reports, most of our troops behaved themselves extremely well, and were well liked by the Japanese people.

Shortly after my assignment as an instructor, Dr. Hammer was promoted to the position of Deputy District Censor and Earl Kato was promoted to Principal with a higher civilian rank and pay. I was moved up to Earl's old job as Assistant Principal without a promotion. A month later, Earl Kato was promoted another rank to Assistant to the Deputy District Censor, John Hammer. I was placed in charge of the school unofficially, but because I was only a T/4, officially the position was given to a WAC Captain who except for 'being an officer did not have the qualifications for the position. She did not know the Japanese language, nor have any training or background in censorship procedures. The reason for this decision was the Table of Organization called for a Captain or higher, and not a sergeant to head the school. Thus running the school unofficially, I was not to receive any promotion during the rest of my stay in Japan. At CCD units Nisei soldiers who were trained at Military Intelligence Service Language School performed jobs that called for an officer or officer grade War Department positions. When Dr. John Hammer was the Principal he was a CAF 10, equivalent to a Captain, and when he was promoted to Assistant District Censor, he was promoted to a CAF 12. When Earl Kato became the Principal he was promoted to CAF 10, until he became an assistant to John Hammer. Now I was for all intent and purpose the Principal of the school, yet Captain Haley was given the position in name only. I did not get the promotion because I was only a T/4, how unfair!

Our Japanese students after a month of intensive training were assigned on my recommendation based on my consultation with my staff to various sections: mail, newspaper and magazine censorship, theater censorship, radio, telephone or telegram censorship. Most of the school's graduates were assigned to mail censorship including inspecting parcels. The best graduates of our censorship school, I kept as instructors on my staff.

Osaka CCD censored performances of Takarazuka arranged their performances for GIs in Osaka and Tokyo. Fukuoka CCD arranged another show in Fukuoka. MacArthur's GHQ was happy with our morale boosting work.

In late October 1946, Major Brunner, the District Censor offered me a Second Lieutenant's commission if I would reenlist. I refused his offer and instead accepted a civilian position at a higher pay as Assistant Educational Officer at CAF 8 with the Saitama Military Government Team.

I received my U.S. Army discharge on November 13, 1946 and was assigned as a Department of Army Civilian (DAC) to Saitama Military Government as an Assistant Education Officer. I reported to Captain Main, Education Officer. He explained our duty was to democratize the Japanese educational system; to inspect the schools to see that lessons were being conducted democratically and they were not teaching anything detrimental to a peaceful occupation, or would endanger our occupational forces. I was to inspect the schools. I was also given the task of the public information; to explain the meaning of democracy to the Japanese; the rights they now had under the new constitution. General MacArthur had forced the Japanese Diet to pass a new Constitution, which was patterned after the U.S. Constitution. There was a big difference was Article 9. It outlawed an armed services and war forever.

Our job was to see that the magnificence of the new Constitution was taught in the Japanese schools. We were to see that belief in militarism was not taught. Acceptance of peace loving way of life was to be emphasized, and to see that democratic principles were taught in the schools. For public information I designed a series of bulletin boards. These bulletin boards were placed throughout the Prefecture by the Governor Nishimura, and Prefecture Education Department. One was installed on the street in front of our office. The Governor, Mayor, Colonel Ryan, Captain Main and I with the local dignitaries and press inaugurated the Bulletin Boards. I named it the "Ano-Ne" board (direct translation is not possible - closest is "Say there" or "Listen up").

I was soon doing all of the school inspections, speaking to group of teachers, PTA, and also in charge of public information. I enjoyed visits to the schools, to see that democratic principles were being carried out. I inspected an average of three schools a week. Wherever I went I was accompanied by Saitama Education officials. I also addressed a teacher's convention held in Urawa. About 1,000 teachers and school administrators attended the conference. We also sponsored an essay contest in all schools on 'What Democracy Means to Me."

After a year I asked for a transfer to Nagano Military Government so I could go skiing every weekend during the winter. I was assigned to Niigata Military Government, a prefecture north of Nagano.

On September 1947, 1 left my friends in Saitama Military Government, and said goodbye to my good friend, Governor Nishimura and others at the prefecture government and traveled by train in Niigata. Here again I took over the task of inspecting the Japanese schools. I set up my own schedules for school visitations, thus I came and went as I pleased. My main job in inspecting each school was to check the curriculum to see that democracy was being taught, and to check that the old history books and curriculum was not used. We did not check the math and science books and curriculum and the Japanese language curriculum. My presence was to show that we were interested in what was being taught in each school. The main purpose of our visit was to show our presence. In addition to inspecting and checking their curriculum at each school in my visits, I spoke to the local education, PTA, Women's and Youth groups.

In an issue of Life Magazine, I saw pictures of the Dartmouth College Ice Carnival. I suggested to the prefecture officials that Niigata hold a winter carnival since it would be a big morale booster. The prefecture official decided to hold the Winter Carnival at Ojiya Machi, a small college town in the Niigata Mountains. The first Winter Carnival of post War Japan was held for three days on February 20 through 23, 1948. The Winter Carnival consisted of Ski Events; Cross Country Skiing, and Nordic Ski Jumps. One interesting event was mass calisthenics by a thousand school children on skis. The main event was the snow sculpture contest; as a member of the judging Team, it was easy to pick the winner, an elaborate mini-mountain of snow with sculptures of ten miners digging for coal in a tunnel with coal carts standing on the outside. The local college students did the snow sculpture. It was extremely well done, and was superior to all the others by a wide margin. The others were amateurish by comparison. There were over a dozen large snow sculptures extending several blocks.

The Winter Carnival was a huge success and made local newspapers and Tokyo newspapers. Tokyo newspapers sent their reporters and photographers. Since this was the first Winter Carnival held in post war Japan, it raised Japanese spirits everywhere, it was news throughout Japan. Because of its success, the Sapporo Winter Carnival in Hokkaido began two years later in 1950, patterned after our successful Ojiya Winter Carnival. Today it is still being held in Ojiya Machi, though it is now overshadowed by the Sapporo Winter Carnival, which has become world famous.