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Hirohito (裕仁, April 29, 1901 - January 7, 1989), Emperor of Japan, also known as the Showa Emperor (昭和天皇).
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.
He reigned as divine sovereign as Japan fought the second Sino-Japanese War 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 1945 he made the radio broadcast announcing the unconditional surrender of Japan's military forces. US General Douglas MacArthur insisted that Hirohito remain Emperor to keep him as a symbol of continuity and cohesion within Japanese society. Despite pressures to try him for war crimes, among them President Truman, he retained the throne but was transformed from imperial sovereign to constitutional monarch. In 1946, under pressure from the United States, Hirohito explicitly rejected the traditional claim that the Emperor of Japan was divine, a descendant of the Sun Goddess.
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