Emperor Hirohito and Sh̄owa Japan: A Political Biography (Nissan Institute Routledge Japanese studies series)

For more than 60 years Hirohito was Emperor - a confusing mixture of "absolute" ruler, constitutional monarch and god. Much was done in his name, yet we know little about him or the part he really played in the making of modern Japan. This political history of Showa Japan tests the controversies surrounding Hirohito against the written evidence of his entire reign. The result is a review of that era. It spans enormous upheavals in state and society, identifying broad patterns of cause and effect and relating the monarchy to the complex problem of political power. Hirohito was confronted first with the political ambitions of the military and then with the democratizing reforms of the occupation period. The author shows how the Emperor's character and personal influence were to prove as crucial as his national authority in preserving a significant monarchy. Few historical subjects have aroused as much passionate debate as the Showa Emperor, Hirohito. This book, based on extensive research in Japanese and English sources, impartially explores how far Hirohito was responsible for war, why he emerged as a contested 'symbol emperor' in postwar Japan, and his legacy to Japan today. In reconstructing and evaluating Hirohito's prewar and wartime political role, Dr. Large portrays the Emperor's personality, world view and political style while carefully elucidating the byzantine political context in which he operated, all against the background of momentous crises both within Japan and overseas. The author then examines Hirohito's long career following the defeat of Japan in 1945: his exemption from trial as a war criminal and role during the Occupation; his image-making by the government and the media; his overseas tours, to Europe in 1971 and America in 1975; and contrasting popular reactions to his death in January 1989. Written for the general reader as well as specialists in Japanese Studies, Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan also offers broad insights into the religious and secular nature of imperial authority, power and influence, the political culture of the Japanese aristocracy, the dynamics of the modern Japanese State, and the intricate interplay of nationalism and democracy in Japan since the Pacific War

For more than sixty years, Hirohito was Emperor a confusing blend of "absolute" ruler, constitutional monarch, and god. Although much was done in his name, we know little about Hirohito the man or the part he played in the making of modern Japan. In Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan, Stephen Large tests the controversies surrounding Hirohito against the written evidence from his entire reign.

This political history of Showa Japan is unique in its scope and objectivity. Many studies have focused on the War or on the imperial conspiracy theory of Showa politics. In this comprehensive study, Stephen Large provides a sweeping review of this era which spans enormous upheavals in state and society and identifies broad patterns of cause and effect while relating the monarchy to the complex problem of political power.

Hirohito was confronted first with the political ambitions of the military and then with the democratizing reforms of the Occupation period. In this informative study, Stephen Large shows how the Emperor's character and personal influence were to prove as crucial as his authority in preserving a significant monarchy.

Emperor Hirohito reigned for more than sixty years, yet we know little about him or the part he really played in the turbulent history of Showa Japan.Stephen Large draws on a wide range of Japanese and Western sources in his study of Emperor Hirohito's political role in Showa Japan (1926-89). This analysis focuses on key events in his career such as the extent to which he bore responsibility for Japanese aggression in the Pacific in 1941, and explains why Hirohito remains such a contested symbol in Japanese post war politics. 'At last a sound, readable, well-researched and balanced book about the late Emperor has been produced ... It should be a standard work for all students of the Showa period' - Sir Hugh Cortazzi