At this moment in early 1946, the general believed that the dynasty was seriously threatened from two directions: first, from the Japanese people, whose “republican” ideas as embodied in the Takano and Communist Party constitutional proposals would only grow stronger with the passage of time; and second, from outside Japan, where those in the victorious Allied camp who still harbored strong anti-emperor feelings might soon be in a position to dictate the terms of any constitutional revisions.
