Hirohito's Role Of Nationalism In Japan

There are many reasons why Japanese nationalism reached the levels it did throughout Hirohito’s reign. The Meiji period, from 1868 to 1912, was a great source of nationalism for the Japanese, as it glorified them and dehumanized the Chinese, showing them as savages. This nationalism from the Meiji period carried over to when emperor Hirohito ascended as Emperor of Japan in 1926 and manifested as ultraconservatism. After the left “disintegrated”, ultra-nationalism, even chauvinism began to come forth, further fueled by Hirohito’s role as a god. This Japanese nationalism became extreme to the point it created an atmosphere of fear and tension, where even Hirohito was unable to change the political, social, and economic climate previous to World

Starting from the Meiji period, an emperor’s role in society was to act as a god. The politicians in the Japanese government emphasized this role and, to a moderate extent, created a cult following. The factor would be whether Hirohito’s outward appearance to the public matched his power in the government, or if it was a ruse. To get a clearer understanding how much power Hirohito exactly had, his and the United States’ actions post World War II need to be investigated. It is widely known that during World War II Japan had committed a plethora of atrocities. Specifically, most Americans would probably think of Pearl Harbor. As such, anti-emperor sentimentality in the United States was prominent, resulting in a call for Hirohito to answer for his crimes after the war. However, a decision had been made at “high political levels” that “Hirohito would be exempt from prosecution as a war criminal.” Surprisingly, there was no outrage from the public. The official rationale behind Hirohito’s acquittal was that it would hurt the occupation of Japan, but many people, like American General Douglas MacArthur, promoted the idea that Hirohito was a figurehead and that his supposed function as head of the military was merely ceremonial. This change in political opinion from bloodthirst to indifference could also give a clue as to Hirohito’s

In the 1920’s, There was a clash in beliefs, those that wanted to stick to traditional militaristic ways were radicals and those that wanted to rapidly modernize were the moderates. The radicals wanted to abandon western ideas, and stick to direct imperialistic rule while the moderates strived for a democratic capitalist country. The radicals, wanting to be ruled by the military rather than a civilian government, had a unified purpose, increasing nationalism and chauvinism to immense levels. The radicals had many advantages over the moderates in terms of power. Before, Japan had made the ministers of the army and navy more powerful than even the cabinet. The military also had the “iaku joso” which was equal in terms of power to the position of prime minister. They even had direct access to the emperor. This gap in power grew even bigger In 1929, when Hirohito ‘fired’ the prime minister. The next prime minister was mortally wounded by a gunshot. Finally in 1932, Japanese naval officers assassinated the next prime minister because he signed a treaty which limited how many warships Japan could operate. After this, mostly all prime ministers were from the military. This political turmoil and shift in power was, along with Japanese nationalism, the catalyst which led to events like the Invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and the Rape of Nanking in 1937. When the Invasion of