"Emperor Hirohito of Japan with Gen. Douglas MacArthur at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo" (1945)
Hirohito was Japan’s emperor during World War II. Though reluctant to go to war, Hirohito didn’t actively object to the invasion of Manchuria. His leadership was not strong. During World War II, Hideki Tojo, 40th Prime Minister and General of the Imperial Army, who was intercepted a note written by Franklin D. Roosevelt to Hirohito asking for peace. Hirohito never replied to the note. The day after, Pearl Harbor was bombed. Due to constant assault by the Allied forces, Hirohito was forced to restrict himself to a air raid shelter close to the palace. With the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the most controversial decision during the last phases of the war was Hirohito’s decision to surrender despite many military leaders wanting to continue. After the surrender, Douglas MacArthur headed the American occupation of Japan. Even though there were talks of punishing Hirohito of war crimes, MacArthur chose not to pursue the matter, allowing the emperor to retain his respect among his people.
Image link: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/94510428/
The American newsreel reports Hirohito’s actions after his surrender. Made near Mt. Fuji with Douglas MacArthur’s permission, Hirohito appears before his ancestors to report the reason behind American occupation of Japan. It is within Japanese Shinto custom.