Charles Louis Kades Charles Louis Kades ( March 12 , 1906 – June 18 , 1996 ) was an American soldier and lawyer who served as both chief and deputy chief of GHQ ' s Government Section in World War II . Kades played a central role in creating GHQ ’ s draft of the Japanese constitution , and profoundly affected the direction of Japan following the war . Early life . Kades was born to Jewish parents in Newburgh , New York . After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1930 , Kades worked at the Manhattan law firm of Hawkins , Delafield , and Longfellow as a municipal bond lawyer . From 1933 - 1942 , Kades helped implement New Deal policies as the Assistant General Counsel for the Public Works Administration and then the United States Department of Treasury . World War II , the Allied Occupation of Japan , and Revising the Japanese Constitution . When World War II began , Kades enlisted in the U . S . army and served at the French front . Ten days after being promoted to the rank of colonel , Kades went to Japan as a member of the occupation forces on August 25 , 1945 . Although originally serving as the chief of GHQ ' s Government Section , Kades became deputy chief following the arrival of the new chief , Major General Courtney Whitney , in December , 1946 . As deputy chief , Kades was ordered by Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers ( SCAP ) Douglas MacArthur to chair GHQ ' s Steering Committee on revising Japan ' s constitution . Order to Revise the Constitution and committee formation . According to Kades , he was first informed of MacArthur ' s order for the Government Section to revise the Japanese constitution on February 3 , 1946 . Having concluded that the constitutional " revisions " presented by the Japanese the previous day were unacceptable , MacArthur decided that a " model " constitution was needed . These orders were given to Whitney , who then conveyed them to Kades along with notes in pencil dictating the following three principles that would shape the draft : 1 . The Emperor is the head of state , his succession is dynastic , and his duties and powers are subject to the constitution and the people ' s will . 2 . Japan renounces the right to war , and shall maintain no army , navy , or air force . 3 . The Japanese feudal system is abolished , and all rights of peerage and nobility will be replaced with a system based on the British Parliament . Upon receiving these orders , Kades became part of the three - man Steering Committee who would lead the drafting process . Kades , along with Lieutenant Colonel Frank Hays and Commander Alfred Hussey , decided to split the Government Section into seven committees that would each work on different sections of the constitution . Whitney accepted this idea , and announced it to Government Section on February 4 , 1946 with orders to keep the project top secret . He gave the Government Section one week to complete the drafting process . The drafting process . According to Kades , " the Steering Committee charged each committee with the responsibility of conforming its draft to the general principles set forth in a State - War - Navy Coordinating Committee ' s statement of policy entitled ' Reform of the Japanese Governmental System ' ( SWNCC 228 ) , " and also to " . . . follow the format of the Meiji Constitution as closely as would be consistent with the changes each committee would recommend . " Although the drafting process was completely controlled by Americans , the drafters did not simply import the American constitution , nor did they create a completely new constitution either . According to Kades , " Japanese sources were most useful . Used to good advantage were outlines of draft constitutions that had been published by the [ Japanese ] Progressive , Liberal , and Socialist Parties . The drafters also referred to constitutions from approximately twelve other countries that were obtained by Beate Sirota and Lieutenant Milton Esman , and Kades encouraged drafters to also consult the Meiji Constitution of 1889 . From February 4 to February 7 , each committee prepared and submitted their respective draft to the Steering Committee for advice on revision . After meeting with each committee on February 8 and 9 , the Steering Committee submitted a consolidated draft to General Whitney on February 10 consisting of thirty - three articles . MacArthur received this draft from Whitney the same day and approved it on February 11 , making only one change . On February 12 , the draft underwent final changes by the Steering Committee and members of the various Government Section committees , was again submitted to MacArthur via Whitney , and approved that night for submission to Japanese officials . Submitting the GHQ draft and the marathon drafting session . On February 13 , 1946 Whitney and the Steering Committee members presented four copies of the completed GHQ draft to Foreign Minister Shigeru Yoshida , Misister of State in charge of new constitution Jōji Matsumoto , Foreign ministry interpreter Genkichi Hasegawa , and Yoshida ' s aid Jirō Shirasu . Whitney explained to these Cabinet members that their draft submitted on February 2 was wholly unacceptable and that a draft more acceptable to the supreme commander had been prepared for them . The Americans then moved to the garden of the residence and waited for about one hour as the Japanese officials read the draft . Yoshida explained that he could not comment on this draft before consulting with Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara , to which Whitney replied that passing the draft was in the government ' s best interest and the four Americans left . After this meeting , the Japanese Cabinet replied with letters explaining that the American draft was too direct and contained ideas that would not work in Japan . Whitney reiterated the drafts benefits and explained that SCAP was prepared to present its draft to the Japanese people directly should the Cabinet refuse it . At 10 : 00 AM on March 4 , 1946 , Japanese Cabinet officials delivered a new draft based on GHQ ' s to SCAP headquarters . Whitney , the Steering Committee and translators / interpreters for GHQ immediately met with these Cabinet members to translate and discuss the draft . Japanese officials had removed and / or altered many ideas , such as popular sovereignty , which Kades insisted was unacceptable . The two groups argued about these changes until Matsumoto left the meeting and relinquished responsibility to Tatsuo Satō and the remaining officials . At this point , it was decided that no one else could leave until a draft acceptable to both groups was completed . The two groups continued to argue about both the meaning of words and the inclusion of certain amendments . Negotiations continued until the evening of March 5 , completing a thirty - two hour drafting session . This new draft was submitted to MacArthur immediately , who then approved it later that night . The Japanese published a translated outline the following day , and MacArthur publicly endorsed it . Constitutional debate in the Japanese government and adoption of a new Constitution . Following the elections of 1946 , a special committee was appointed to study SCAP ' s draft , which had been presented as Japanese product . The draft was debated and amended , both directly by Japanese lawmakers and indirectly through SCAP , until being put up for a vote . The constitution , which had undergone approximately thirty revisions by Japanese lawmakers , was adopted on October 7 , 1946 by a vote of 421 to 8 in the House of Representatives and a vote of over 300 to 2 in the House of Peers . Emperor Hirohito announced the promulgation of this new constitution on November 3 , 1946 and the constitution became effective on May 3 , 1947 . Military retirement and post - war life . On May 3 , 1949 , Kades resigned as deputy chief of the Government Section , choosing to leave Japan exactly two years from the day the Japanese constitution was adopted . Kades then returned New York where he worked as lawyer until retiring in 1976 . He died in 1996 at the age of 90 . Controversy involving Kades . A famous episode in Kades ’ life involved an affair with Torio Tsuruyo . Following Kades ’ participation in purging bureaucrats from the Ministry of Home Affairs , National Rural Police Director Noboru Saitō , along with former ministry bureaucrats , supported G2 in an attempt to oust Kades . However , Kades learned of this plot through Lady Tsuruyo Torio , and had leaders of the police headquarters demoted . In addition , some believe that Kades , in order to disguise his motivations , distorted the truth and forced a special investigations unit of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office to form a case against this group on charges of bureaucratic corruption .