Editing Nobusuke Kishi (section)

===Policy goals===
In February 1957, Kishi became prime minister following the resignation of the ailing [[Tanzan Ishibashi]]. His main concerns were with foreign policy, especially with revising the [[Security Treaty Between the United States and Japan|1952 U.S-Japan Security Treaty]], which he felt had turned Japan into a virtual American protectorate.{{sfn|Bix|2000|p=660}} Revising the security treaty was understood to be the first step towards his ultimate goal of abolishing Article 9. Besides his desire for a more independent foreign policy, Kishi wanted to establish close economic relations with the various states of [[South-East Asia]].{{sfn|Bix|2000|p=660}} Finally, Kishi wanted the Allies to commute the remaining sentences of the Class B and Class C war criminals still in serving their prison sentences, arguing that for Japan to play its role in the Cold War as a Western ally required forgetting about Japan's war crimes in the past.{{sfn|Bix|2000|p=660}}