Why was there support for unarmed neutralism in Japanese society? How far did the foreign policy of the Yoshida government follow the ideas of unarmed neutralism?

Before the final stages of World War 2 (WW2) the Japanese had faith in a system of government and structure of society that appeared to work well. The voices of opposition to Japan's militaristic ambitions were quashed with little complaint, theirs being the minority view, considered unpatriotic at best, treasonable at worst. The people trusted that their leaders and their Emperor had their best interests at heart, even as they were being bombed and their sons …

…Militarization and Demilitarization in Contemporary Japan, Routledge, London: Chapter 2, Demilitarization: the impact of peace thought 26-41 and 207-10 IS321, 1997, Japanese Studies, Units 2, 3 and 4, Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Takahashi, S and Nakamura, K (1979) Peace research in post war Japan in Peace research in Japan (1978-79) Welfield, J (1988) An Empire in Eclipse: Japan in the post-war American alliance System - A Study in the Interaction of Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy, Athlone Press, London