Work day. Notes below on Hirohito.
Once in power, how did they change their country before WWII? (+&-)
- When he came to reign, Japan was already on of the great powers
- Japan's longest reigning emperor
- A lot of historians think him to be no more than myth, with so little they saw him during the war.
- This reading of Hirohito's character as passive also helped the emperor avoid responsibility (and trial) for Japan's war crimes, kept him politically "clean" enough to be used by U.S. officials to help manage postwar Japan in the Occupation period and in the Cold War, and in general helped shore up the reconstruction of a more conservative politics than would have been possible if the emperor had been discredited for the role he played in the war.
- The period of his father's reign, the Taisho era, was markedly different from the Meiji era. Meiji had been a strong leader, whereas Taisho had largely been unable to govern. It fell upon his ministers and, most significantly, to the Diet (parliament) to govern the country. The sudden growth in political parties during this period is referred to as the Taisho Democracy, and it happened during a period of great peace and prosperity in Japan.
- When Hirohito took the throne, all of this changed. With a strong head of state, the power of the Diet and the political parties was reduced as the Imperial cabinet worked to follow their Emperor's lead. For example, at that time the constitution made clear that the Emperor could not act except on the advice of his ministers and chiefs of staff, but in the 1936 attempted coup of military men against the civilian political leaders, Hirohito ordered the rebellion to be suppressed, against his advisers' wishes. The Emperor's strong hand was clearly visible in such actions.
- So it is clear that Hirohito did not disapprove of the attacks in China or the invasion of Manchuria in the 1930s. It is also clear that he approved the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, as well as many of the subsequent military actions that followed this declaration of war against the United States. When the quick victory promised by his advisers didn't happen, he became critical against his advisers, leading to the removal of Prime Minister Tojo in 1944. Even after the fall of Okinawa, Hirohito, who wanted to negotiate a surrender, refused to force his council to do so.
Comments