Far Eastern Commission facts for kids
The Far Eastern Commission (FEC) was an important group of countries that helped manage Japan after World War II. It took over from an earlier group called the Far Eastern Advisory Commission (FEAC). The FEC watched over the Allied Council for Japan, which was the main body controlling Japan during its occupation by the Allies.
This commission was based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was first agreed upon at a big meeting called the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers in December 1945. Nine countries were part of the FEC: the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, India, and the Philippines. The FEC and the Allied Council for Japan stopped working after the Japanese Peace Treaty was signed on September 8, 1951.
The United States had the most power in the Allied Council for Japan, which was based in Tokyo. Other countries, like China, generally accepted this because the US was a very strong nation after the war. This was similar to how the US accepted the Soviet Union having a lot of influence in Eastern Europe after the war.
Why the Far Eastern Commission Was Formed
After Japan surrendered in August 1945, the US government started planning how to occupy Japan, as outlined in the Potsdam Declaration. However, other Allied countries were not happy that the US seemed to be making all the decisions. They wanted to have a say too.
To give other Allied governments some involvement, the US suggested creating the "Far Eastern Advisory Commission" on August 21, 1945. This group would include representatives from the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and China. Its job would be to give advice to the US government on how to carry out Japan's surrender terms.
An agreement to form this commission was reached at the London Conference of Foreign Ministers in late 1945. The US Secretary of State, James F. Byrnes, and the British Foreign Minister, Ernest Bevin, agreed to set up the commission. Later, the name was changed from the Far Eastern Advisory Commission (FEAC) to the Far Eastern Commission (FEC). This name change showed the growing disagreements between the major Allied powers, which would later lead to the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union.
The Far Eastern Commission created rules for Japan to follow after its surrender. It had 10 members, and decisions were made by a majority vote. However, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and China had special "veto power." This meant they could stop any decision, even if everyone else agreed. Between July 1947 and December 1948, the FEC made 13 important policy decisions. These decisions focused on three main areas: disarmament, making Japan more democratic, and helping Japan's economy recover.
Disarming Japan After the War
One of the main goals of the Far Eastern Commission was to make sure Japan could not start another war. To do this, they decided to partly reduce Japan's industrial power. This process is called "de-industrialization." The idea was to bring Japan's factories and industries down to the same level they were at before 1930–1934, which was a time before Japan's military expansion. This helped ensure Japan would not be a threat to the US or other countries again.
