MacArthur gave immunity to Shiro Ishii and other members of Unit 731 in exchange for germ warfare data based on human experimentation . He also exempted the Emperor and all members of the imperial family implicated in war crimes , including princes such as Chichibu , Asaka , Takeda , Higashikuni and Fushimi , from criminal prosecutions . MacArthur confirmed that the emperor 's abdication would not be necessary . In doing so , he ignored the advice of many members of the imperial family and Japanese intellectuals who publicly called for the abdication of the Emperor and the implementation of a regency
Unit 731
Unit 731
Douglas MacArthur