Hirohito emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989, was born in Tokyo on April 29, 1901. He played a very important role in modern Japan, also on the symbolic level, because he was the last sovereign to be considered the incarnation of divinity (in deference to beliefs of the Shinto faith), although this belief was considered valid only during the first years of reign.
Another peculiarity that marks, so to speak, its modernity and its being a turning point in the costume and mentality of the Rising Sun is that it was the first Japanese prince to move away from the national territory, after which, in 1921, he had way of visiting Europe. His childhood is marked by rigor and discipline, so much so that alongside traditional studies he is forged by guardians through military practice. Soon, at the age of twenty, he was appointed regent, mainly because of the health conditions of his father, who was in a state of chronic illness. It covers this role until 1926, until it finally rises to the throne. Call his kingdom "Showatenno" (which can be translated with the words "era of brilliant harmony"). Moreover, only the previous year was married: the first child (a male), destined to succeed him, will come to light in 1933.
Hirohito emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989, was born in Tokyo on April 29, 1901. He played a very important role in modern Japan, also on the symbolic level, because he was the last sovereign to be considered the incarnation of divinity (in deference to beliefs of the Shinto faith), although this belief was considered valid only during the first years of reign.
Another peculiarity that marks, so to speak, its modernity and its being a turning point in the costume and mentality of the Rising Sun is that it was the first Japanese prince to move away from the national territory, after which, in 1921, he had way of visiting Europe. His childhood is marked by rigor and discipline, so much so that alongside traditional studies he is forged by guardians through military practice. Soon, at the age of twenty, he was appointed regent, mainly because of the health conditions of his father, who was in a state of chronic illness. It covers this role until 1926, until it finally rises to the throne. Call his kingdom "Showatenno" (which can be translated with the words "era of brilliant harmony"). Moreover, only the previous year was married: the first child (a male), destined to succeed him, will come to light in 1933.
Faithful to his military education, the first twenty years of his reign is left in the hands of a military elite, with the serious consequence that inevitably unleashed and crystalline forces and interests are unleashed within it. On the contrary, the expansionist desire with which this ruling class marks Japanese politics will lead straight to a bloody conflict with China lasting almost ten years (from 1937 to 1945). Later, then, Japan will be involved in the much more serious world conflict, up to suffer the tragic defeat by means of the atomic bomb dropped by the Americans. In fact, Japan had allied itself with the Nazi power created by Hitler, hoping to become a rib of the Reich in the heart of the East and thus dominate it.
Within these bloody events, Hirohito's first concrete initiatives are finally resolved. Shocked by the atomic counteroffensive, with Japan on his knees and bent in his pride, in August 1945 he intervened personally to induce the government to accept Potsdam's declaration for unconditional surrender. Once this important consensus is obtained, for the first time it addresses the population through the radio, in order to communicate that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.
Following the surrender, Hirohito actively collaborates with the enemy occupation forces, transforming the country into a democratic nation. It was on 1 January 1946 when he publicly denied the divine character of his authority, while the following year he promulgated the new Constitution, which established a constitutional monarchy. Its role is thus limited to functions that are almost exclusively ceremonial, but the emperor nevertheless undertakes to restore the prestige of the imperial house, largely compromised by the alliance with the military. His behavior, taken as a whole, is worth the benevolence of the Allies, who renounce to sue him in court during the war crimes trials of 1946-1948, although he was indirectly involved in the Japanese war plans. On the other hand, General Tojo Hideki (prime minister during the war period) is not spared, and after a regular trial he is found guilty and sentenced to death.
In order to re-establish its image definitively, reinforcing it at the popular level and trying to contribute to social peace, Hirohito and his wife intensified contacts with the Japanese population and, in the decade between 1970 and 1980, the imperial couple traveled to Western Europe and United States conducting diplomatic visits under the banner of friendship and reconciliation. A cultured man with many interests, the emperor devoted himself occasionally to the study of marine biology, also receiving notable recognition for his research in the field.
He died on 7 January 1989 surrounded by great honors and having regained the esteem of his people.