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| He was made ] in 1921 and succeeded his father, the Taisho Emperor (Yoshihito), in 1926. He married Princess Nagako Kuni in 1924. His first son and heir, ], was born in 1933. He was interested in marine biology, and the Imperial Palace contained a laboratory from which Hirohito published several papers in the field. | He was made ] in 1921 and succeeded his father, the Taisho Emperor (Yoshihito), in 1926. He married Princess Nagako Kuni in 1924. His first son and heir, ], was born in 1933. He was interested in marine biology, and the Imperial Palace contained a laboratory from which Hirohito published several papers in the field. | ||
| The first part of Hirohito's reign as divine sovereign (between 1926 and 1945) took place against a background of increasing military power within the government, through both legal and extralegal means. The Army had held veto power over the formation of cabinets since 1900, and between 1921 and 1944 there were no less than 64 incidents of right-wing political violence, most notably the assasination of moderate Prime Minister ] in 1932. From that time on, the military clique held almost all political power in Japan, and pursued policies that eventually Japan to fight the second ] and ]. | |||
| He reigned as divine sovereign as Japan fought the second ] and ]. His role remains highly controversial with some historians regarding him as a figurehead with no control over the military, while others arguing that he did indeed have real power, and that he therefore bears some responsbility for Japan's actions during the war. | |||
| In the immediate aftermath of the war, many Westerners believed that Hirohito bore a direct responsibility for the conflict, while others claimed that he was simply a powerless figurehead. Modern historians take the view that neither statement is justified. | |||
| ⚫ | In 1945 he made the radio broadcast announcing the unconditional surrender of Japan's military forces. Despite pressures to try him for ] by numerous leaders, among them ], ] General ] insisted that ] remain Emperor to keep him as a symbol of continuity and cohesion of the Japanese people. Hirohito was spared trial and retained the throne, but Hirohito was forced to explicitly reject the traditional claim that the Emperor of Japan was divine; a descendant of the ]. The imperial title was thus transformed from 'imperial sovereign' to 'constitutional monarch' |
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| Up until soon before the start of the war, Hirohito behaved strictly according to protocol, remaining at a distance from the decision making processes. On September 4th 1941, the Japanese Cabinet met to consider the war plans prepared by Imperial General Headquarters, and decided that: | |||
| :''Our Empire, for the purpose of self-defence and self-preservation, will complete preparations for war ... <nowiki></nowiki> ... resolved to go to war with the United States, Great Britain and the Netherlands if necessary. Our Empire will concurrently take all possible diplomatic measures vis-a-vis the United States and Great Britain, and thereby endeavor to obtain our objectives ..... In the event that there is no prospect of our demands being met by the first ten days of October through the diplomatic negotiations mentioned above, we will immediately decide to commence hostilities against the United States, Britain and the Netherlands.'' | |||
| The "objectives" to be obtained were clearly defined: a free hand to continue with the conquest of ] and ], no increase in US or British military forces in the region, and cooperation by the West "in the aquisition of goods needed by our Empire". | |||
| On the 5th September, Prime Minister ] informally submitted a draft of the decision to the Emperor, just one day in advance of the Imperial Conference at which it would be formally implemented. Hirohito was deeply concerned by the decision to place "war preparations first and diplomatic negotiations second" and announced his intention to break with centuries-old protocol and, at the Imperial Conference on the following day, directly question the chiefs of the Army and Navy general staffs - a quite unprecedented action. Konoe quickly persuaded Hirohito to summon them for a private conference instead, at which the Emperor made it plain that a peaceful settlement was to be pursued "up to the last". Chief of Naval General Staff Admiral ], a former Navy Minister and vastly experienced, later told a trusted colleague "I have never seen the Emperor remrimand us in such a manner, his face turning red and raising his voice." | |||
| Nevertheless, all speakers at the Imperial Conference were united in favour of war rather than diplomacy. Baron ], President of the Imperial Council and the Emperor's representative then questioned them closely, producing replies to the effect that war would only be considered as a last resort from some, and silence from others. | |||
| At this point, the divine soverign astonished all present by addressing the conference personally, and in breaking the tradition of Imperial silence left his advisors "struck with awe". (Prime Minister Koyone's description of the event.) Emperor Hirohito stressed the need for peaceful resolution of international problems, expressed regret at his ministers failure to respond to Baron Hara's probings, and recited a poem written by his grandfather, the almost legendary Emperor ] which, he said, he had read "over and over again": | |||
| : ''Methinks all the people of the world are brethren, then.'' | |||
| : ''Why are the waves and the wind so unsettled nowadays?'' | |||
| Recovering from their shock, the ministers hastened to express their profound wish for exploring all possible peaceful avenues. The war preparations continued without change, however, and within weeks Cabinet would replace the insufficiently belligerant Koyone with the hard line General ]. On December 8th 1941, in simultaneous attacks, Japanese forces struck at the US Fleet in ] and began the invasion of South-East Asia. From here, there was no turning back. | |||
| With the nation now fully committed to the war, Emperor Hirohito put aside his doubts and acted as a devoted Japanese patriot, taking a keen interest in military progress and doing all he could to boost morale. To begin with, the news was all good. As the tide of war gradually began to turn (around late 1942 and early 1943), the flow of information to the palace gradually began to bear less and less relation to reality. In the first six months of war, all the major engagements had been victories. Throughout the following years, the sequence of drawn, and then decisively lost engagements were also reported as great victories. Only gradually did it become apparent to the Emperor (and to his people in the home islands) that the situation was very grim. American air raids on the cities of Japan starting in 1944 made a mockery of the unending tales of victory. | |||
| ⚫ | In 1945 he made the radio broadcast announcing the unconditional surrender of Japan's military forces. Despite pressures to try him for ] by numerous leaders, among them ], ] General ] insisted that ] remain Emperor to keep him as a symbol of continuity and cohesion of the Japanese people. Hirohito was spared trial and retained the throne, but Hirohito was forced to explicitly reject the traditional claim that the Emperor of Japan was divine; a descendant of the ]. The imperial title was thus transformed from 'imperial sovereign' to 'constitutional monarch' in ]. | ||
| '''See also''': ], ] | '''See also''': ], ] | ||
Revision as of 13:59, 25 February 2003
The Showa Emperor (昭和天皇), (April 29, 1901 - January 7, 1989) was the Emperor of Japan, known in the west by his given name, Hirohito (裕仁) (he has no family name).
He was made regent in 1921 and succeeded his father, the Taisho Emperor (Yoshihito), in 1926. He married Princess Nagako Kuni in 1924. His first son and heir, Akihito, was born in 1933. He was interested in marine biology, and the Imperial Palace contained a laboratory from which Hirohito published several papers in the field.
The first part of Hirohito's reign as divine sovereign (between 1926 and 1945) took place against a background of increasing military power within the government, through both legal and extralegal means. The Army had held veto power over the formation of cabinets since 1900, and between 1921 and 1944 there were no less than 64 incidents of right-wing political violence, most notably the assasination of moderate Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai in 1932. From that time on, the military clique held almost all political power in Japan, and pursued policies that eventually Japan to fight the second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.
In the immediate aftermath of the war, many Westerners believed that Hirohito bore a direct responsibility for the conflict, while others claimed that he was simply a powerless figurehead. Modern historians take the view that neither statement is justified.
Up until soon before the start of the war, Hirohito behaved strictly according to protocol, remaining at a distance from the decision making processes. On September 4th 1941, the Japanese Cabinet met to consider the war plans prepared by Imperial General Headquarters, and decided that:
- Our Empire, for the purpose of self-defence and self-preservation, will complete preparations for war ... ... resolved to go to war with the United States, Great Britain and the Netherlands if necessary. Our Empire will concurrently take all possible diplomatic measures vis-a-vis the United States and Great Britain, and thereby endeavor to obtain our objectives ..... In the event that there is no prospect of our demands being met by the first ten days of October through the diplomatic negotiations mentioned above, we will immediately decide to commence hostilities against the United States, Britain and the Netherlands.
The "objectives" to be obtained were clearly defined: a free hand to continue with the conquest of China and South-east Asia, no increase in US or British military forces in the region, and cooperation by the West "in the aquisition of goods needed by our Empire".
On the 5th September, Prime Minister Konoe informally submitted a draft of the decision to the Emperor, just one day in advance of the Imperial Conference at which it would be formally implemented. Hirohito was deeply concerned by the decision to place "war preparations first and diplomatic negotiations second" and announced his intention to break with centuries-old protocol and, at the Imperial Conference on the following day, directly question the chiefs of the Army and Navy general staffs - a quite unprecedented action. Konoe quickly persuaded Hirohito to summon them for a private conference instead, at which the Emperor made it plain that a peaceful settlement was to be pursued "up to the last". Chief of Naval General Staff Admiral Osami Nagano, a former Navy Minister and vastly experienced, later told a trusted colleague "I have never seen the Emperor remrimand us in such a manner, his face turning red and raising his voice."
Nevertheless, all speakers at the Imperial Conference were united in favour of war rather than diplomacy. Baron Yoshimichi Hara, President of the Imperial Council and the Emperor's representative then questioned them closely, producing replies to the effect that war would only be considered as a last resort from some, and silence from others.
At this point, the divine soverign astonished all present by addressing the conference personally, and in breaking the tradition of Imperial silence left his advisors "struck with awe". (Prime Minister Koyone's description of the event.) Emperor Hirohito stressed the need for peaceful resolution of international problems, expressed regret at his ministers failure to respond to Baron Hara's probings, and recited a poem written by his grandfather, the almost legendary Emperor Meiji which, he said, he had read "over and over again":
- Methinks all the people of the world are brethren, then.
- Why are the waves and the wind so unsettled nowadays?
Recovering from their shock, the ministers hastened to express their profound wish for exploring all possible peaceful avenues. The war preparations continued without change, however, and within weeks Cabinet would replace the insufficiently belligerant Koyone with the hard line General Hideki Tojo. On December 8th 1941, in simultaneous attacks, Japanese forces struck at the US Fleet in Pearl Harbor and began the invasion of South-East Asia. From here, there was no turning back.
With the nation now fully committed to the war, Emperor Hirohito put aside his doubts and acted as a devoted Japanese patriot, taking a keen interest in military progress and doing all he could to boost morale. To begin with, the news was all good. As the tide of war gradually began to turn (around late 1942 and early 1943), the flow of information to the palace gradually began to bear less and less relation to reality. In the first six months of war, all the major engagements had been victories. Throughout the following years, the sequence of drawn, and then decisively lost engagements were also reported as great victories. Only gradually did it become apparent to the Emperor (and to his people in the home islands) that the situation was very grim. American air raids on the cities of Japan starting in 1944 made a mockery of the unending tales of victory.
In 1945 he made the radio broadcast announcing the unconditional surrender of Japan's military forces. Despite pressures to try him for war crimes by numerous leaders, among them President Truman, US General Douglas MacArthur insisted that Hirohito remain Emperor to keep him as a symbol of continuity and cohesion of the Japanese people. Hirohito was spared trial and retained the throne, but Hirohito was forced to explicitly reject the traditional claim that the Emperor of Japan was divine; a descendant of the Sun Goddess. The imperial title was thus transformed from 'imperial sovereign' to 'constitutional monarch' in 1946.
See also: Gyokuon-housou, World War II
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