Emperor Hirohito

Dec 9

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Emperor Hirohito, on white horse, January 1940

 

Japanese public broadcast service, NHK has obtained documents showing that former Emperor Hirohito repeatedly felt sorry about World War II and tried, unsuccessfully, to express his feelings by using the word “remorse” in a 1952 speech.

The records of conversations with Hirohito spanning several years were kept by Michiji Tajima, a top Imperial Household Agency official who took office after the war.

Although it’s not surprising that Hirohito had deep regrets about the war, the documents highlight how painfully strong such emotions had been.

Journals and notebooks kept by Michiji Tajima, a former top Imperial Household Agency, are seen in Tokyo on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019.
KYODO NEWS VIA AP

The Imperial Household Agency declined to comment on the report.

As he was preparing his 1952 speech at a ceremony to commemorate Japan’s return to independence with the end of the U.S. occupation, Hirohito insisted to Tajima that he “must include the word remorse” in his speech, according to NHK.

That wish was relayed to then-Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, who advised against it, NHK said.

Yoshida’s views were that people needed to look to the future and any reference sounding like an apology would give the wrong impression.

World War II, which ended with Japan’s 1945 surrender following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was fought in the name of the emperor.  The man who had wanted nothing more out of life than to be a Marine Biologist,  was considered divine.

After the war, the U.S. occupation allowed the emperor to stay on, although without any political powers but as a symbol of the state.

In this Jan. 26, 2016, file photo, Japan’s Emperor Akihito, right, and Crown Prince Naruhito, left, walk at Haneda international airport in Tokyo. Emperor Akihito, abdicated on April 30, 2019, in the first such abdication in about 200 years. The emperor will be 85. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

The documents show that Hirohito felt that, instead of surrender, he wished he had been able to end the war earlier. He also privately expressed horror at the atrocities committed by the Japanese military, according to the documents. But he also told Tajima that the military was so powerful that he couldn’t influence it.

Hirohito died of cancer in 1989 at age 87. He was succeeded by his son Akihito, who recently abdicated, passing the Chrysanthemum Throne to his son Naruhito. Both Akihito and Naruhito have publicly expressed remorse for the war.

From: Stars and Stripes magazine, YURI KAGEYAMA | Associated Press | Published: August 20, 2019

Click on images to enlarge.

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Military Humor – 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Farewell Salutes – 

K. Beltz – Villas, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, HQ Co./674 Artillery/11th Airborne Division

Wallace Crane – Manchester, NH; US Army Air Corps, WWII

Robert Felton – Green Bay, WI; US Army, WWII, ETO, Bronze Star

Lewis Gentry – Cookeville, TN; US Army, WWII, PTO, C/O cook, medic & Chaplin’s asst.

Mohammed S. Haitham – US Navy, KIA (Pensacola, FL)

George Kessel – Fargo, ND; US Army, WWII, ETO, 26th Infantry Division, Bronze Star, Purple Heart

James Masters – Bourne, MA; US Air Force, Vietnam, SSgt., radioman, Bronze Star

Victor ‘Pat’ Tumlinson – Raymondville, TX; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)

Cameron Walters – GA; US Navy, KIA (Pensacola, FL)

Joshua C. Watson – AL; US Navy, US Naval Academy graduate, KIA (Pensacola, FL)

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About GP

Everett Smith served with the Headquarters Company, 187th Regiment, 11th A/B Division during WWII. This site is in tribute to my father, "Smitty." GP is a member of the 11th Airborne Association. Member # 4511 and extremely proud of that fact!

Posted on December 9, 2019, in Current News, WWII and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 143 Comments.

  1. Texans Jack & Dodie | April 3, 2021 at 7:06 AM

    Never knew this. Interesting…like so many that you write.

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  2. cat9984 | February 20, 2020 at 11:23 AM

    You have to wonder if “honor” was one of the causes of the war

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    • GP Cox | February 20, 2020 at 1:48 PM

      Perhaps, but I think it revolves more around power and control.

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      • Gary Friedman | February 20, 2020 at 4:13 PM

        Long answer short: afterf 300 years of total isolation from the rest of the world, Japan entered a world dominated by western colonialism. If whitie got some, why cant we?Their frenzy to catch-up is called WWII. PS: The Emperor was in just as much a hurry.

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        • GP Cox | February 21, 2020 at 5:52 AM

          The West was consistently sending Japan mixed signals. Obviously you didn’t take my suggestion of reading The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley, so maybe this might explain a little bit more.

          Setting the stage for war …

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          • Gary Friedman | February 22, 2020 at 12:29 PM

            OY! Way too complicated to get into a long analysis of this, and you will only accuse me of just wanting to start an argument. But: it seems as if Hirohito is innocent of anything (FDR is the bad guy for pulling the strings) and the Japanese are innocent of anything (since we “taught” them.) But here is an opening quote from a 650 page history of WWII, Moral Combat (2011) by Michael Burleigh: “The leaders of the English-speaking democracies allegedly went to war to benefit a sinister arms-manufacturing military-industrial complex, a view that much appealed to extreme US isolationists in the 1930’s, and resonates with the international left nowadays. This is extreme moral relativism (and crude conspiracy theory.)….Japanese conservatives have for a long time insisted that Japan sought to liberate Asia and Asians from European colonialism, when in fact they enslaved them. I find myself defending the Allied war effort, whatever reservations one may have. Some patriotic myths are not only useful but true; so were the virtues which accompanied them.”

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  3. Lavinia Ross | December 25, 2019 at 8:29 PM

    An interesting, informative post, as always, GP. Even the mighty sometimes have no real control of the situation at hand.

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  4. williamrablan | December 18, 2019 at 3:20 PM

    I was reading that he was often times kept in the dark, and even the stuff he knew about he had little say in. A bad position to be in.

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  6. jcalberta | December 11, 2019 at 12:27 PM

    Remore??? I would have committed Seppuku if I had the least part in any of that.
    Yet it seems he didn’t have a hand in it?

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  7. Jet Eliot | December 11, 2019 at 11:49 AM

    That’s fascinating, GP. Terrific post.

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  8. pvcann | December 11, 2019 at 8:13 AM

    It seems he had a conscience that was lacking in the political system, and which is still evident in the issue of “Comfort women” – very little progress on redress and acknowledgement.

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    • GP Cox | December 11, 2019 at 2:23 PM

      His system was still locked in 2000 years of tradition. It is very difficult to view his actions now, with 21st Century eyes,impartially.

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      • jguenther5 | December 13, 2019 at 12:20 AM

        I fully agree. I lean towards the theory that the military had some ability to over-rule the Emperor. That would be consistent with the high-ranking officer appearing at the radio station and attempting to get custody of the recording in which Hirohito announced the surrender. [The station manager craftily told the officer that the record was at a different studio. Once he left, the record was broadcast.] The officer had obviously believed that the military had the right and duty to second guess Hirohito, and, if so, this was probably the case during the course of the war.

        In any case, the whole issue of Hirohito’s guilt is not relevant. Any guilt, real or imaginary, on his part is not as important as America’s handling of the occupation and leaving the Emperor in place as a beloved figurehead for his people. There is no need to judge him. He apparently regretted his actions and inaction. Let that suffice. Hatred accomplishes nothing good.

        But I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when MacArthur met with Hirohito for the first time.

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  9. Jennie | December 11, 2019 at 7:17 AM

    Excellent post, GP. This week’s shooting hits close to home as both husband and son trained in Pensacola. That Ensign was a hero.

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    • GP Cox | December 11, 2019 at 7:25 AM

      Very sad indeed. Perhaps instead of bringing students here, their country should pay for our instructors to go there? What do your husband and son think?

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      • Jennie | December 11, 2019 at 7:56 PM

        Hubby’s thoughts and comments: “There are programs in place for exchange pilots that frequently involve training, and are heavily NATO oriented. These are good experiences for everyone involved, but the program we’re discussing involves more third world type countries. Sending our instructors there can be problematic from a family separation and general danger. It reminds me of North VietNam and the “Russian advisors” who flew in some North Vietnamese aircraft – not a good optic in today’s day and age. The recent fiasco at Pensacola is designed to provide valuable experience in interoperability which can be a good thing. It also does an important service to us in that it keeps our training pipelines occupied in case we ever need to get our people trained quickly in times of crisis. Few people realize that one very big deciding factor in our WWII air superiority was that neither Germany nor Japan could train replacement pilots at anywhere near the rate that we did – Pensacola played a huge role in that training. Just a footnote, most of these third world countries are either monarchies, dictatorships, or theocracies and as such, the students coming from them are usually not screened for abilities – such the comments made by some of the staff interviewed. I was involved in the training of a similar group of Iranians in the mid 70’s that were just as bad as apparently these Saudis are.” Our son of course is not in a position to comment. Best to you, GP.

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  10. Jennie | December 11, 2019 at 7:15 AM

    I’m so glad to know this! He was a hero.

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  11. padresteve | December 10, 2019 at 11:33 PM

    Most of the current biographies and histories of the period show that Hirohito was as much of a militarist and Japanese nationalist as any of his subordinates convicted of war crimes. Had he had the courage to follow his allegedly peaceful convictions he would have never allowed to “Manchuko Incident” the “China Incident” or the Second World War to happen. True he may have been assassinated, but he was their God.

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    • GP Cox | December 11, 2019 at 5:38 AM

      Too many historical books are mere copies of what other researchers have said. Like our media today – if repeated enough, anything becomes fact.

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      • Gary Friedman | December 11, 2019 at 10:52 AM

        As someone who shall go unnamed here says “The media is the enemy of the people”. So if you repeat tweet rampages enough, tweets become fact. You got that one right!

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        • Gary Friedman | April 11, 2021 at 12:49 AM

          I notice that I made the above comment exactly one year before that “unnamed one” openly empowered an armed group of his followers to attack and overthrow the results of an American election. Never happened before. Will it happen again? This country is now a different country than the one we vets here served for.

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  12. Aviationtrails | December 10, 2019 at 5:21 PM

    With such strong feelings it’s always hard to raise the issue of Japan’s actions during the Second World War. If what he says is true then it is very brave of him to stand up against the internal politics and military might of his own country. The people of Japan have a very high regard for their emperors and this must have been hard for some to swallow.

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    • GP Cox | December 11, 2019 at 5:35 AM

      Of course it was, but the people had no idea that they had been under the total control of the military for decades. Slowly but surely, the media and school systems were all following the rules the military laid out, not the Emperor. The Emperor was hunted down for assassination before that speech went on the air with the notice of surrender. The Emperor talking to the people was totally unheard of in the past.

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    • GP Cox | December 11, 2019 at 5:55 AM

      Remember also, it was us who taught Japan how to colonize.

      East and West (1)

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      • Gary Friedman | December 11, 2019 at 10:48 AM

        NO! What a bizarre crusade you are on here! Hirohito was NOT hunted down for assassination. The armed invaders were there to “save the nation and the emperor” and to destroy the record announcing the “end of the war because of a terrible new weapon” (not a “surrender”). Hirohito never spoke to the people in the past because living gods do not speak to the people. And we did not “teach” the Japanese to colonize. We “taught” them how to build railroads. Colonization is the natural curse of all strong nations. Japan coming out of a 300 year self-imposed isolation from the rest of humanity could clearly see that they would need an “East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere” (and its OIL) to be a great modern nation. (Like we need a “sphere” and OIL.) Hirohito looked like a wimp but was the product of 2,000 years of unbroken military tradition. The “people” just wanted to play baseball. Hirohito wanted an empire.

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        • GP Cox | December 11, 2019 at 2:20 PM

          Try reading “The Imperial Cruise” by James Bradley. My final word.

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          • Gary Friedman | December 11, 2019 at 5:22 PM

            Why final? Seems like an interesting exchange. I might even learn something! I’ve read dozens of histories of the Pacific war (I had 2 uncles in the Marines, Guadalcanal and Iwo) so have a pretty good idea of the material. And I also read James Bradley’s Flag of My Fathers, about his fathers participation in the Iwo flag raising, that Clint Eastwood made a pretty good film from, but turns out now to have seriously flawed scholarship, which I aint going to get into because I would guess you would know what it is. So, eventually, I probably will read this book, but I suspect that no book ever is the final word. (PS: just googled The Imperial Cruise. It seems to have gotten a storm of negative comments about its “scholarship” about Teddy Roosevelt and the year 1905, but it still sound like an interesting read….

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            • GP Cox | December 12, 2019 at 6:28 AM

              You were sounding as if you weren’t open for discussion, just someone to agree with you.
              Try talking against any “hero” president and see what kind of criticism you receive. Read it, check the facts and decide for yourself. The end result started with mistakes made father back than most researchers go.
              I did a summary of my original research here –

              East and West (1)

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              • Gary Friedman | December 13, 2019 at 3:41 AM

                I dont run this blog and you enjoy getting lots of praise here for whatever you post. Im just a guy who tries to comment on a number of items that dont quite add up. I just spent some time looking through various reactions to the one source that you believe changed all history, where as there are many sources that call your one source fatally flawed. Im not so well read on all history from 1905 but I do know you simply made a number of statements about Hirohito that just are not true. So even if all the rest of it is true, why is it necessary to defend Hirohito? Like I said above, you seem to be on a strange crusade here.

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                • GP Cox | December 13, 2019 at 6:34 AM

                  I will debate facts, but not innuendo. I take it you didn’t both to read the East and West series I posted, nor are you debating facts here in this comment. I do not solicit favorable remarks from readers and I approval comments that disagree, such as yours. I could just as easily put your remarks in the Trash, but I feel you have the right to express your opinion. In fact, why not start a blog of your own?
                  This blog is nearing its final destination soon and I do not have the time to rehash your original comment once again, so I’ll close it here.

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                  • Gary Friedman | December 13, 2019 at 7:06 PM

                    Uh huh. Im not debating facts but you are. Period. And because Im just some guy passing through, you are going to get the likes, not me. So be it. Ive been following your posts for years and got no interest in starting a blog. In fact I passed up a few more of your facts that I feel are casually inaccurate but that would require me to keep rehashing your comments. I AM a major commentator on 4 pages devoted to films but I think I’ll close here also. Thanks for not trashing my opinions. As ex-service men, we both served to protect that right….

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  13. Teagan R. Geneviene | December 10, 2019 at 10:09 AM

    A truly fascinating historic figure, GP. You’ve made it even more so. Hugs on the wing.

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  14. SJS | December 10, 2019 at 8:49 AM

    I never realized the extent of regret and remorse that Emperor Hirohito felt about Japan’s involvement in WWII. Thanks for this excellent post, GP. Keep up the great work.

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  15. jfwknifton | December 10, 2019 at 8:07 AM

    I think that Hirohito was very lucky not to be executed after WW2 and but for the protection of one high ranking American in particular, he may well have been. This account is in one of the books I have recently completed:

    “We know now that Rommel was already receiving extremely helpful intelligence about British intentions in North Africa from American sources. Brevet Colonel Bonner Frank Fellers was the US military attaché in Cairo. He sent Washington long descriptions of virtually everything he had learned about the British plans that day. He used the ‘Black Code’ which the Italians had already stolen months before, and the Germans had already cracked anyway. Within a few hours, Rommel was reading about the British plans. On many occasions, the Desert Fox was given the dispatches from Fellers before the US military received them.
    To help the Germans find his dispatches, every single dispatch Fellers sent was labelled ‘MILID WASH’ or ‘AGWAR WASH’ (‘Military Intelligence Division’ or ‘Adjutant General, War Department’, ‘Washington’). And it was always signed ‘FELLERS’.

    Fellers went on to serve in Japan where the Japanese awarded him the Second Order of the Sacred Treasure because after the war, he “was a great benefactor who saved the Emperor from being prosecuted as a war criminal.”

    Your value to your own army is often indicated when the enemy give you a medal. ”

    So clearly, the Japanese expected Hirohito to pay the price of genocide.

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    • GP Cox | December 10, 2019 at 1:59 PM

      I think they expected it, but MacArthur (who was basically raised and served most of his life in Asia) knew the importance of keeping the Emperor safe. It was he who insisted the palace in Tokyo not be bombed also. There would be little control over the Japanese otherwise. Mac might have been ridiculed for his overbearing ego, but he understood the importance of respect and tradition. He understood the oriental culture.

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      • Gary Friedman | December 10, 2019 at 4:24 PM

        Our pre-war ambassador to Japan for 10 years before the war, Joseph Grew, warned FDR that the Japanese would have to be totally annihilated before they would surrender, but as this appeared to be true, as the Japanese refused to surrender anywhere in the Pacific, he changed his attitude and advocated that the ancient capital Kyoto and the Imperial Palace in Tokyo not be destroyed, because if the emperor was killed, there was just no one on earth who would have the authority to tell the generals to end the war. I dont know if this influenced MacArthur, or not, but Mac grew up in the Philippines, and the Filipinos just did not have anything like Japan’s Bushido code of death before surrender. What the Japanese respected about Mac, is that he looked and acted like a “generalissimo”. If he had been more like, say, our low-keyed Gen.Bradley, we might have had a much tougher time occupying Japan.

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        • GP Cox | December 11, 2019 at 5:32 AM

          Exactly why FDR called Mac up for active service again after his retirement – there was no love-loss there, just being logical. So you see, there was not just one person responsible for saving the Emperor.

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  16. colonialist | December 10, 2019 at 7:44 AM

    Interesting, that. I can imagine that ‘remorse’ would have gone down well internationally, but not in Japan itself. A no-win situation.

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  17. Emma Cownie | December 10, 2019 at 3:46 AM

    I had no idea Hirohito just wanted to be a Marine Biologist…it just goes to show how fascism/extreme right-wing military organisation can pretty much brainwash a nation of otherwise decent people in a relatively short time. No nation is immune.

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  18. Gary Friedman | December 10, 2019 at 12:23 AM

    Interesting how on a number of places everyone seems to agree that you can’t accept a “movie” to accurately portray an event (I agree. Its a drama!) but someone mentions the Russian film The Sun as a corrective to our lack of understanding about Hirohito. Unfortunately I could not find my copy of a massive history book called something like Japan’s Imperial Conspiracy which puts Hirohito directly into the desire for, and conduct of the war. So instead I just copied a couple of paragraphs from the Wiki article on The Japanese Army in WWII. Keep in mind that WWII actually started (only they or we did not know it yet) when the Japanese Army attacked and occupied Manchuria in 1931 (!) while Japan was still operating under a peace-time government. But rather than refight all of WWII, I guess us Americans want to get past the bitter racial feelings at the time because of our treatment of Japanese-Americans during the war, and our use of the A-Bomb, (which I believe was necessary.) Anyway, here is Wiki:

    Imperial General Headquarters and the role of Emperor Hirohito:
    During the first part of the Shōwa era, according to the Meiji Constitution, the Emperor had the “supreme command of the Army and the Navy” (Article 11). Hirohito was thus legally supreme commander of the Imperial General Headquarters, founded in 1937 and wherein the military decisions were made.

    Primary sources such as the “Sugiyama memo”, and the diaries of Fumimaro Konoe and Kōichi Kido, describe in detail the many informal meetings the Emperor had with his chiefs of staff and ministers. These documents show the Emperor was kept informed of all military operations and frequently questioned his senior staff and asked for changes.

    According to historians Yoshiaki Yoshimi and Seiya Matsuno, Hirohito authorized, by specific orders transmitted by the Chief of staff of the Army such as Prince Kan’in or Hajime Sugiyama, the use of chemical weapons against Chinese civilians and soldiers. For example, Hirohito authorized the use of toxic gas on 375 separate occasions during the invasion of Wuhan in 1938.[25] Such weapons were also authorized during the invasion of Changde.

    According to historians Akira Fujiwara and Akira Yamada, Hirohito even intervened in planning some military operations. For example, Hirohito pressed Field Marshal Hajime Sugiyama, four times during January and February 1942, to increase troop strength and launch an attack on Bataan.[26] In August 1943, he scolded Sugiyama for being unable to stop the American advance on the Solomon Islands and asked the general to consider other places to attack.[27]

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    • GP Cox | December 10, 2019 at 6:46 AM

      The only thing I notice missing here is that it was traditional for the Emperor to NOT speak during those meetings and when he spoke up and said the war must end, the witnesses were shocked.

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      • Gary Friedman | December 10, 2019 at 11:13 AM

        Japanese history is one of the most hierarchical and traditional ever. The Japanese royal line is UNBROKEN from 600AD, and the country has always been ruled in a traditional way, whether an individual war lord or the emperor was “in charge”. So the “official” meetings were conducted like Kabuki plays, with rigid rules which everyone understood. But the emperor could, and did, intervene when he felt he wanted to. Even the record made of Hirohito’s voice announcing the “end of the war” (he never mentioned “surrender”) was the first time in history the Japanese people had ever heard his voice, and he spoke in a “traditional” way that was almost undecipherable.

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  19. Ann Coleman | December 9, 2019 at 11:20 PM

    I learn so much from your blog…thank you!

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  21. Dan Hen | December 9, 2019 at 8:47 PM

    An excellent point about our policy not to depose the emperor at the end of the war . Was that MacArthur’s influence ? We might well have had extra problems during the occupation had the divine symbol been humiliated . So far as Hirohito wanting to have ended his nation’s aggression earlier and ending the war sooner without Japanese total defeat —— did he try ? It’s hard to have any sympathy for him for his private thoughts . Nevertheless, your post gives an interesting perspective on Japanese culture and power centers at the time. Thanks , GP. I

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    • GP Cox | December 10, 2019 at 6:36 AM

      It was all MacArthur to leave the Emperor alone, he even waited 3 weeks for the Emperor to visit his office. His brother, Prince Konoye worked very hard for peace both before and during the war. He was ignored by Washington and made the mistake at the end by going through Moscow to act as mediator.

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  22. shoreacres | December 9, 2019 at 8:23 PM

    I was fascinated by the abdication of Emperor Akihito; it was the first time I’d really spent any time learning about the complexities of the Japanese system. Clearly, being a ceremonial head of state is no picnic. Hirohito had the military to contend with, while Queen Elizabeth has her family to drive her to distraction. It’s always something!

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  23. SCLMRose | December 9, 2019 at 5:18 PM

    Even with his remorse, the Japanese military was so powerful and resisting till the very end and that even included his brother. They searched high and low through the whole palace for his speech so it could not be delivered the next day.

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  24. koolkosherkitchen | December 9, 2019 at 1:59 PM

    With all the remorse and regrets, Hirohito had absolutely no power. Europeans who first came to Japan (16th century, I believe) were surprised to discover that “Sons of Heaven” were essentially figureheads whose every move was dictated by powerful samurai families, i.e. the military.

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    • GP Cox | December 9, 2019 at 2:14 PM

      Exactly. Tradition ran the country until the military took over.

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    • Gary Friedman | December 10, 2019 at 12:38 AM

      In the 16th century, the country had been unified by a warrior clan (the Tokugawa shogunate) and ruled for 300 years during which the emperor did have no power. In 1868 the power of the emperor was restored when the shogunate was overthrown—-by the visit of the American fleet under Perry.

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      • GP Cox | December 10, 2019 at 6:47 AM

        We did quite a bit more than that to create the Japan that attacked us.

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        • Gary Friedman | December 10, 2019 at 11:38 AM

          Ultimately, in real history, all of us are guilty of something. The Japanese were our allies during WWI and fought a couple of fierce battles in China against German positions, for which they were rewarded by the League of Nations with some strategic islands in the Pacific. This was a time of relative liberalism in Japan, Japanese lived and studied in the US (as did Yamamoto, who eventually planned the Pearl Harbor attack), the national pastime became baseball and a visit from Babe Ruth would draw thousands! But ultra-nationalists (and the emperor) decided that to be a really great power like their allies the Americans, they need an empire and access to….(wait for it….) OIL! The attack on Manchuria, which began in 1931 (!) was before the Japanese government was taken over by the military. They then began to run literally amok in China, FDR was not happy about imposing sanctions on oil (they were our major customers of ours!)….and the rest is history. If FDR had not imposed sanctions on oil, just think how that would play out in today’s discussions about the war. So, like you say, quite a bit more….

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      • koolkosherkitchen | December 10, 2019 at 2:10 PM

        Thank you for filling in details. However, even though the shogunate was overthrown, the emperors have never gained power. As far as I know, shoguns have been replaced by politicians. Also, as far as I know, during WWII the spirit of bushido was still prevalent in Japanese military. Do correct me if I am wrong, please.

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  25. Klausbernd | December 9, 2019 at 1:46 PM

    Dear GP Cox,
    thank you very much that you presented a different picture of Hirohito as I have had. I don’t know where it came from, maybe from the behaviour of some soldiers of the Japanese army during WW II – at least what I have read about it without knowing about the difference of power between Hirohito and the military. It’s always great getting your misconceptions corrected. Thank you! 🙂
    To the question if movies ever do things completely accurate? No, they never can because even a documentary is not reality. Movies are art – even if some movies make it hard to believe it – and art is a different reality with different structures, it’s like the map and the landscape. But a movie can make you think about a certain topic, can make you feel about it. The big chance of a movie is the distance to its topic. Well, one needs distance to see clearly and more objectively – as far as objectivity exist.
    All of the Fab Four are wishing you and your family a GREAT and harmonious pre-Christmas time
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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    • GP Cox | December 9, 2019 at 1:59 PM

      Fab Four of Cley,
      I thank you for taking my explanation at face value. I tried in earlier posts to describe the utter complexity of the way the Japanese government ran at the time and I believe I confused more people than I got through to. I can understand how anyone could get the wrong opinion of the Emperor, by looking at the actions of their military – who at the time had the actual control of the country at the time.
      I know what you are saying about the movies. I have far too often had to correct people (which I hate to do) about facts shown in the movie verses reality. I think I upset quite a number when I said the “Bridge Over the River Kwai” was not right. (either that or they thought I was demented!! 🙂 )
      May you, such a wonderful family I am privileged to have the acquaintance of, enjoy the season all year long!
      GP Cox

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  26. Amy | December 9, 2019 at 12:42 PM

    How very interesting and sad. I wonder whether he regretted staying in too long because they ultimately lost the war or because it was wrong to begin with. It would be interesting to know if he left any other records or letters that would reveal more of his thinking.

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    • GP Cox | December 9, 2019 at 2:13 PM

      He always felt bound by tradition and the guidance of his advisers. At the moment, I know nothing more than what is in this blog, Amy. As our and their archives are gradually released, perhaps we will discover more documentation.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Gary Friedman | December 10, 2019 at 8:55 PM

        As the “living god on earth” and direct descendant of the first emperor Tenno in 600AD, Hirohito WAS bound by tradition, but only to the point that he decided differently. He was all for the creation of a modern Japanese empire, often gave advise on it’s course. He was NOT a constitutional monarch (as in Britain.) He was a living god. Whether anyone actually believed that was immaterial. When he declared at the end of the war that he was not divine, hundreds of Japanese, civilians and military, committed suicide. “Tenno Banzai!” “The emperor lives 10,000 years!”

        Liked by 1 person

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    • Liz Gauffreau | December 9, 2019 at 8:22 PM

      I was wondering the same thing, Amy.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  27. 56PackardMan | December 9, 2019 at 12:39 PM

    Thank you for including the American Flag meme and the truth it expresses:
    “Our Flag and culture offend so many people but our benefits don’t.”
    Spot-on! 👍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  28. John W. Howell | December 9, 2019 at 11:43 AM

    Thanks or the story on the Emperor. Shows that our policy of non-humiliation went a long way to restoring our two nations’ relations. I like that meme, GP and wonder why so many take from America and give back only hate. Super post.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  29. Jacqui Murray | December 9, 2019 at 10:51 AM

    Interesting. I didn’t know his son abdicated but now–thanks to you–I do. I need to get out more.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  30. Mustang.Koji | December 9, 2019 at 10:43 AM

    The Japanese are historically an odd lot. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  31. TheChattyIntrovert | December 9, 2019 at 10:19 AM

    Funny how I just saw this post this morning. I’m on the last volume of Keiji Nakazawa’s graphic novel autobio, Barefoot Gen, and just read the part where in 1953 Gen’s about to graduate middle school and at the ceremony the principal wants them to sing the anthem in praise of the emperor. He goes off like a rocket, saying no way in hell because of the war, the bomb, and how he never showed remorse for the destruction or anything (and a lot of the kids cheered him on)

    Perhaps a display of remorse would’ve been a good idea in ’52 after all. Can’t wait to read the book on the man and this series’ creation. Guess that’s for later in the week.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • GP Cox | December 9, 2019 at 2:07 PM

      Unfortunately, the Emperor listened to advisers who were more concerned with decorum and following centuries’ old tradition. I believe if he had been allowed more personal contact with the people, he was allowed to open-up to them – things would have been very different, before and after the war.
      The series you’re reading sounding very interesting.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • TheChattyIntrovert | December 10, 2019 at 12:02 AM

        It’s written by a man who was about 6 or 7 years old and in Hiroshima the day the atomic bomb was dropped…and what happened to his life and his family in the days and years afterward. It’s an autobiographical graphic novel in 10 volumes that doesn’t pull any punches. Gen speaks with the black-and-white view of a child, especially at the beginning, and then as time goes on he gets more complex, but never loses his belief that the atomic bomb was the worst thing ever created and (like his father) he despises the militarists and warmongers, some of which are still active and proud of it even AFTER the war.

        I just finished the series this morning, and would definitely recommend it to anybody wanting to get the Japanese side of the atomic bomb drops.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        • GP Cox | December 10, 2019 at 6:43 AM

          Every time I even mention the Bomb, I set off a series of debates among the readers – just as mentioning how much FDR knew about Pearl Harbor. Looking at events from the ‘other side’ always helps to bring an event into perspective. In a case as big as the bomb, there are many sides. I appreciate you bringing that info about the series to us. I will definitely look into it.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
  32. toniandrukaitis | December 9, 2019 at 9:27 AM

    Interesting insight. I often wonder if Kings, generals, emperors, presidents, etc., ever feel remorse for such acts that cause the death and suffering of so many people. Wouldn’t it be nice if war and violence could be avoided all together? Think first, act later. Thanks for always sharing your historical discoveries.

    Have a great week.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  33. equipsblog | December 9, 2019 at 8:21 AM

    Great cartoons
    Love the story on Hirohito. He visited Scripps Aquarium in San Diego. San Diego is essentially a desert by the sea so they spray painted the grass green for his visit.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  34. Dan Antion | December 9, 2019 at 7:06 AM

    Sometimes it has ended well, sometimes badly, but it’s never good when the balance of power between government and military gets out of whack. Either way, it’s asking for trouble. Thanks for including the recent, tragic deaths. These deaths and injuries make no sense and are so hard to fathom.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  35. Will Pennington | December 9, 2019 at 6:48 AM

    There’s a petition going around to ask the Navy to bestow posthumously Pilot’s wings on the young Naval Academy grad killed in last week’s shooting at Pensacola. I hope it succeeds. A friend of mine was a CPO assigned to the academy and mentored Ensign Watson’s class. She’s distraught over his untimely death, not surprising since she was close to the cadets and spent a lot of time with them throughout their four years at the Academy.
    Thank you for including the names of the two Sailors killed in that act of terrorism.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  36. beetleypete | December 9, 2019 at 6:11 AM

    GP, I can recommend this very moving film about him, set in the last days of WW2.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_(film)
    (Subtitled)
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

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