When was hirohito emperor

In , Hirohito went on a six-month tour of Europe, becoming the first member of the Japanese imperial family to travel abroad. He married an imperial princess, Nagako, in and they had seven children. Hirohito became emperor when his father died in The emperor was regarded as divine by many Japanese. In reality he had little power, with civilian and increasingly military officials deciding national policy. He reluctantly supported the invasion of Manchuria and the war against China, and attempted to encourage cooperation with Britain and the USA.

However, he had no choice but to approve the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that led to war between Japan and the United States in December Despite his lack of enthusiasm over the decision to go to war, he was pleased with the Japanese military and naval successes that followed.

That winter, the Japanese army massacred an estimated , civilians and prisoners of war in and around the city of Nanking. Rape is thought to have been commonplace, and women throughout Japanese-controlled regions of Asia were brought in to serve as prostitutes.

He also sanctioned the use of chemical warfare and the uprooting of peasants. In September , Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, in which they agreed to assist one another should any of them be attacked by a country not already involved in the war. Japan sent troops to occupy French Indochina that same month, and the United States responded with economic sanctions, including an embargo on oil and steel.

A little over a year later, Hirohito consented to the decision of his government to battle the Americans. On December 7, , Japanese planes bombarded the U. The United States declared war one day later. But the tide started turning at the June Battle of Midway and soon after at Guadalcanal. A postwar constitution preserved the monarchy but defined the emperor as a mere symbol of the state.

All political power went to elected representatives. Unlike many among his top military brass, Hirohito was not indicted as a war criminal, in part because U. From to , Hirohito toured the country and oversaw reconstruction efforts.

The American occupation ended in , after which Hirohito served largely in the background while Japan went through a period of rapid economic growth. He died on January 7, , having spent nearly 64 years on the throne—the longest imperial reign in Japanese history.

There are clear historical examples, however, where Hirohito decisively exercised his power. In , for example, he moved swiftly to put down a coup among Japanese military leaders. This cleared the way for the elevation of the hawkish and dictatorial Hideki Tojo.

Bix and others also fault Hirohito for some of the more egregious crimes committed by the Japanese military. He also knew about mistreatment of prisoners of war, and about killings of civilians in Nanking, but did nothing to stop the practices or punish military leaders which he could have done.

These cases fit a larger pattern of Hirohito being blamed for inaction. This inaction persisted even where action could have prevented war. The invasion of Manchuria started without orders from Tokyo, but Hirohito acquiesced after being assured that the military could succeed in expanding his empire. Before the war with the US, he underestimated American objections to his foreign policy of formally allying himself with Germany and Italy. He also indicated initial reluctance to go to war, but later confirmed the plan to attack Pearl Harbor over the objections of some of his advisers.

He even increased his control over military affairs in the lead-up to Pearl Harbor, attending the Conference of Military Councillors which he usually did not and asking for additional details on the plans for attack. According to an aide, he showed visible joy at the news of the success of the surprise attacks.

His second connection came with the discussion of surrender in Hirohito had a chance to end the war earlier, as it became clearer that Japan could not win. Konoe gained his first audience with the emperor in years in February and implored Hirohito to start discussing terms of surrender.

We cannot but express the deepest sense of regret to our allied nations of East Asia, who have consistently cooperated with the Empire toward the emancipation of East Asia. The thought of those officers and men as well as others who have fallen in the fields of battle, those who died at their posts of duty, or those who met death [otherwise] and all their bereaved families, pains our heart night and day. The welfare of the wounded and the war sufferers and of those who lost their homes and livelihood is the object of our profound solicitude.

The hardships and sufferings to which our nation is to be subjected hereafter will be certainly great. We are keenly aware of the inmost feelings of all of you, our subjects.