Hirohito was born on April 29, 1901 in Tokyo’s Aoyama Palace. This was when his grandfather, Emperor Meiji, was still in power. When Meiji died in 1912, Hirohito’s father, Yoshihito took the throne. Hirohito then became the heir to the throne. He was also made a lieutenant in both the army and navy. In his young age he progressively made his way through the ranks in the military. Hirohito married Princess Nagako Kuni on January 26, 1924. They had five daughters and two sons. One daughter, Princess Hisa, sadly did not live to adulthood. She died when she was one for unknown reasons. Another child, Princess Taka, was the only one adopted. On December 25, 1926, Hirohito succeeded in taking the throne because of his father's death. …show more content…
This was an alliance that was basically made to assist one another if any of them were attacked by a country not involved with the war. This basically made them enemies of the Allies. A little over a year later, Japan’s government convinced Emperor Hirohito to attack the United States considering it was inevitable that they would enter the war. It’s not clear if Hirohito was for or against the decision but either way, Japan ended up bombing a naval base in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941. This surprise attack took a toll on The United States’ naval power and forced them into the war. The war went on for a year or so then the tide began to turn on Japan. The emperor realized the possibility of losing but he only pushed his army to greater efforts. As the war continued, Japan lost many battles. These losses though, were reported as victories to the citizens of Japan. For a short while these false truths were believed. Reality struck in eventually. When there were shortages of food and medicine, the citizens of Japan figured out how the war was actually going. Hirohito was running out of options. He decided to appoint two new prime ministers to help with the war. Both ended up being …show more content…
The new government was a constitutional monarchy. It is still the government there today. Many Japanese officials were charged with war crimes because of the horrific actions of the military. Hirohito was never charged with any though. He portrayed himself as a symbol that had little power in the choices his nation made. That the military had most of the power in Japan during the war. In the constitutional monarchy he is more of a symbol. He has made an impact of the citizens of Japan in the long run. The efficient rebuild and the eventual flourishing economy made him very popular with his people. He is also the longest reigning emperor of Japan and the first one to travel abroad. In 1975 he visited Disneyland! Historians to this day debate whether Hirohito was a cruel leader with full command or he was a mere symbol with barely any power. Some say he was pardoned for his crimes for his cooperation with the treaty but all along was pulling the strings. Others argue that the strong military presence in the government overruled Hirohito. We probably will never know the actual truth. This has been debated for many years and will be debated for many more to