army were manning nearly two-thirds of the battle line. And by May 1953, the ROK army's strength was to rise "to sixteen divisions and supporting forces, a total of nearly four hundred thousand troops."
Poats said, "The visit confirmed in Eisenhower's mind the wisdom of a decision made during his election campaign to speed up the development of a big ROK Army and thus lighten the bloody burden borne by American troops. By replacing foreign troops on the battle line with South Koreans, the significance of the war in terms of the world balance of military power would be reduced and the West's ability to 'wait out' a favorable armistice would be increased."
When the San Francisco Peace Treaty came into force on April 28, the Occupation of Japan came to a formal end, and the Occupation headquarters returned to Japan powers and functions which the SCAP GHQ had exercised for six years and eight months. First among these was the handling of diplomatic relations.
Japan found sovereign diplomacy could be troublesome. On January 18, President Syngman Rhee of South Korea proclaimed the establishment of the Rhee Line fisheries zone, which would be closed to fishing by other nations, including Japan. The Japanese Foreign Office lodged a protest, calling the claim a violation of international law. This led to the first formal meeting with the Republic of Korea on the problem in February, but the talks were suspended in April with both countries refusing to back down.
On August 5, Ambassador Robert D. Murphy arrived in Tokyo to present his credentials to Emperor Hirohito and formally reopen the U.S. Embassy. Six days later, Japan signed a civil aviation treaty with the United States. On September 1, the Bank of Tokyo opened an overseas branch in London, Japan's first overseas foreign exchange office since World War II. Japan's application for membership in the United Nations was vetoed in the Security Council by the Soviet Union, but on May 29 Japan's participation in the International Monetary Fund and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development was approved. On June 24. NYK resumed liner passenger service to Europe, via the Suez Canal.
On January 2, Japan rejoined the International Whaling Convention and sent two fleets to the Antarctic, thus resuming whaling operations for the first time since World War II.
Meanwhile, simultaneously with the coming into force of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, the Japan-U.S. Mutual Security Agreement came into effect, laying the groundwork for U.S. forces to remain in Japan to guarantee Japan's security against aggression. The administrative agreement spelling out details governing the status of U.S. troops under the security treaty was negotiated in January when Dean Rusk flew in from Washington as special envoy, and was formally signed on February 28.
With Allied blessings, Japan set about rebuilding its police power and capability to discourage military aggression. In October, the National Police Reserves, created under a directive issued by the Occupation forces, became the National Self-Defense Force and joined the Maritime Safety Force as Japan's weapon against aggressors under the jurisdiction of an agency in the Prime Minister's Office.
Japan also assumed jurisdiction over the entry and departure of airplanes on March 10, took over the authority to administer export trade on March 15, and about the same time lifted the ban on the use of zaibatsu names and trademarks.
Leftist groups were becoming increasingly militant, and Yoshida provided them with a new target in the Anti-Subversive Activities Bill being prepared for presentation to the Diet. May Day came and developed into a bloody demonstration of left-wing strength. Slogan-shouting, flag-waving demonstrators marched onto the grounds in front of the Imperial Palace, which had been banned to them by government order, and clashed with 5,000 police armed with pistols and tear gas. Two demonstrators died, 1,500 were injured, and 1,232 people were arrested. Despite their opposition, the law giving the government powers to suppress subversive elements passed the Diet on July 4.
Correspondents were out in full force reporting the demonstrations which began with orderly parades but quickly disintegrated into unruly mobs as they fought police with stones and bamboo spears. This was only the beginning of a series of strikes and protest gatherings that punctuated the year. In subsequent demonstrations held in many parts of Japan on May 30 and afterward, demonstrators added Molotov cocktails to their arsenal, setting fires to automobiles. Police began arming themselves with metal shields to go with their helmets.
On the political front, three anti-Yoshida conservative factions joined to form the new Progressive Party and persuaded Mamoru Shigemitsu, the highly respected former foreign minister who signed Japan's surrender in 1945, to head the party as president. Yoshida met the challenge by carrying out a snap dissolution of the House of Representatives on August 28. After negotiating and gaining the support of Ichiro Hatoyama, the "grand old man" who had re-entered the political wars after his depurge, he and his supporters expelled the principal leaders of the opposition bloc from the party. In the elections that followed on October 1, the Liberals captured 240 of the 436 seats, giving Yoshida the majority he needed to form his fourth cabinet on October 30.
Two weeks later, however, the prime minister lost his right-hand man, Hayato Ikeda, like Yoshida crusty and outspoken, but lacking Yoshida's finesse. During interpellations in the Lower House on November 12, Ikeda, trade and industry minister in the new cabinet, said it "can't be helped" if small and medium businessmen fail or commit suicide as a result of the cabinet's austerity policy. To still the uproar that followed, Ikeda was forced to resign.
During the 1952 year, the average personal income of the Japanese rose to 98.6% of the 1934-36 average. With an eye on Japanese businessmen traveling overseas, a BOAC Comet flew into Tokyo's Haneda Airport on July 8. It was the first jet passenger plane to be seen in Japan. December saw the start of reorganization of the Japanese banking system.
In sports and entertainment, Japan continued its comeback. On July 19, the Fifteenth Olympic Games opened in Helsinki with Japan participating for the first time since the 1936 Olympiad in Berlin.
On May 19, Yoshio Shirai defeated Dado Marino of Hawaii for the world flyweight boxing championship. It was Japan's first world boxing title, and Japan was in high spirits. On December 20, Japan opened its first bowling center, in Aoyama, Tokyo. On the musical stage, tiny Eri Chiemi, with word-perfect miming of the English words she learned from the U.S. Armed Services radio broadcasts, sent "Tennessee Waltz," "Shanghai Lil," and "Geisha Waltz" to the top of the hit song charts as screaming teenagers cheered her on. Among the young set, motor scooters were all the rage.
