A former Japanese diplomat has accused the United States of manipulating Japan since the second world war in order to "eliminate" prime ministers who sought to develop better relations with Beijing.
Ukeru Magosaki, who also served as the head of the Foreign Ministry's Intelligence and Analysis Bureau, has recently written a book that has soared to the top of Japan's bestseller lists.
The book - (The Truth Behind Post-war History) - states that the US will never remove its military bases from Japanese territory, no matter how much public outcry there is. Magosaki also said he believes that certain factions in the US would even like to see Japan develop nuclear weapons.
"In the book, I divide Japanese leaders into two groups; those who have wanted to pursue independent foreign policies and those who have just followed US instructions and policies," Magosaki said in Tokyo yesterday.
"Those in the first group were not welcomed by the US government and were usually quickly eliminated from the post of prime minister."
This was not achieved directly by Washington, he claimed, but through subtle influence over key politicians, the media, government officials and senior executives of major companies.
A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Tokyo declined to comment on the allegations made in Magosaki's book.
