Could Emperor Hirohito Have Prevented His Country from Entering World War II? (WWII, ancient)

[markg91359]

Few peoples have as deep and rich a cultural and historical tradition as the Japanese people do. Ancient Japanese mythology actually held that their Emperor was a descendant of the Sun God. For decades, questioning his authority was unthinkable. The line of authority in Japan began at the top with the Emperor and descended downwards through designated public officials. Questioning the command of any official was the equivalent of denying the authority of the Emperor.

In the 1920's and 1930's, Japan became dominated by a cabal of military leaders. These leaders demanded that Japan assume its proper role as a modern nation. "Modern nations" according to these military leaders built up industries that produced steel and motor vehicles. If they lacked resources--as Japan does--then the proper thing for a "modern nation" to do was to establish colonies in much the way that Britain and France had done. In 1931, the Japanese ceased the Chinese province of Manchuria primarily because its natural resources lent itself to the production of steel and industrial goods. In 1937, the Japanese invaded most of coastal China. In effect, they made this into a "colony" as well. This lead to a US embargo on sales of rubber, gasoline, and most goods to Japan.

When the USA would not drop its embargo, the Japanese military made a decision to go to war against the USA. This was the very worst decision they could have made and ultimately cost the lives of millions of Japanese.

IMO, the one person who could have prevented this from occurring was Emperor Hirohito. In fact, there are some indications that the Emperor desired peace with the USA and other major powers before the war. He conveyed these notions in subtle ways, but those around him saw this.

1. Could Hirohito have prevented Japanese involvement in World War II by coming out strongly against the war?

2. Why didn't Hirohito speak out more strongly against the war in the beginning?

[Grandstander]

Your questions seem backed by an assumption that Hirohito was some sort of pacifist who opposed the concept of war yet yielded to it.

Hirohito was Japanese and shared the general cultural idea that the Japanese people were superior, and that as the superior Europeans had colonized portions of the third world, so too was it fitting and proper that Japan behave in the same manner.

Hirohito's major pre war concerns were not centered on peace for the sake of peace, rather he worried that Japan was biting off more than it could chew. When he was approached to sign off on the Pearl Harbor attack, his complaint was that the Japanese armed forces had promised him a quick victory in China, yet the struggle continued there and got larger each year. Hirohito argued that since Japan was finding China too big to quickly defeat, and the Pacific Ocean was a lot bigger than China, he could not believe the armed forces promises of a quick defeat of the Americans.

He certainly never seemed to mind the idea of a war of conquest as long as it was nothing but victories.

Trying to convert Hirohito into a stealth Gandhi does not square with his actual behavior. If you take an ethnocentric approach and see America as attacked without provocation or justice, then you will misunderstand Hirohito's mentality. Japan was deeply insulted by the discovery that the western powers were not going to welcome Japan as an equal. In their minds they were behaving no differently than any of the European colonial empires and in fact they believed that the west would welcome a first rate nation such as Japan stepping up and bringing order to the chaotic China.

Instead they learned that the western mentality was that white skin entitled you to an empire, but Japan could aspire to some sort of auxiliary role at best. Europeans carving up China was proper, Japan carving up China was imperialist brutality.

The Japanese were a justly proud nation and as noted, Hirohito was Japanese. Learning that the west planned to block Japan's efforts to become a colonial power, did not sit any better with him than it did with the generals and admirals.

[marmac]

I don't think Hirohito had the final say.

After two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, after the threat of more bombing, the military leaders still did not want to surrender.

Hirohito made the final plea to the leaders that continueing was hopeless.

Sounds like he had to persuade the military leaders it was time to quit.

No, up until that bombing he had no intentions of surrendering.

[kevxu]

Originally Posted by markg91359

Few peoples have as deep and rich a cultural and historical tradition as the Japanese people do. Ancient Japanese mythology actually held that their Emperor was a descendant of the Sun God....

A small correction:

The imperial family is descended from Amaterasu-omikami, the sun goddess - female.

[Fred314X]

By the time of World War II, Japan wasn't exactly an absolute monarchy where the Emperor's word was final. Actual political power resided with the Prime Minister--just as in England. Even if Hirohito himself didn't want to thrust Japan into World War II, then he certainly made a very poor choice in his selection of Hideki Tojo as Prime Minister in 1941. Tojo was at the opposite end of the spectrum from either pacifism or non-involvement. Granted, Hirohito was almost certainly "steered" in the direction of Tojo's appointment. But he was the one who made the official appointment, and he never claimed to have made it under protest.

[cocytus]

Originally Posted by markg91359

Few peoples have as deep and rich a cultural and historical tradition as the Japanese people do. Ancient Japanese mythology actually held that their Emperor was a descendant of the Sun God. For decades, questioning his authority was unthinkable. The line of authority in Japan began at the top with the Emperor and descended downwards through designated public officials. Questioning the command of any official was the equivalent of denying the authority of the Emperor.

In the 1920's and 1930's, Japan became dominated by a cabal of military leaders. These leaders demanded that Japan assume its proper role as a modern nation. "Modern nations" according to these military leaders built up industries that produced steel and motor vehicles. If they lacked resources--as Japan does--then the proper thing for a "modern nation" to do was to establish colonies in much the way that Britain and France had done. In 1931, the Japanese ceased the Chinese province of Manchuria primarily because its natural resources lent itself to the production of steel and industrial goods. In 1937, the Japanese invaded most of coastal China. In effect, they made this into a "colony" as well. This lead to a US embargo on sales of rubber, gasoline, and most goods to Japan.

When the USA would not drop its embargo, the Japanese military made a decision to go to war against the USA. This was the very worst decision they could have made and ultimately cost the lives of millions of Japanese.

IMO, the one person who could have prevented this from occurring was Emperor Hirohito. In fact, there are some indications that the Emperor desired peace with the USA and other major powers before the war. He conveyed these notions in subtle ways, but those around him saw this.

1. Could Hirohito have prevented Japanese involvement in World War II by coming out strongly against the war?

2. Why didn't Hirohito speak out more strongly against the war in the beginning?

Probably not.
Technically, Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931 set into motion the events that lead to WWII.

[ovcatto]

Originally Posted by marmac

Sounds like he had to persuade the military leaders it was time to quit.

And came close to be the "victim" of a military coup as a result.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyūjō_Incident

As for the topic question:

For the war crimes and other violations of international law committed by Japan’s military forces after December 7, 1941, the largest share of responsibility may again be attributed to Hirohito as both commander in chief and head of state. At every stage on the road to Singora, Kota Bharo, and Pearl Harbor he was free to choose alternative courses of action rather than accept the thinking of his military chiefs. When, for example, Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro, on September 5, 1941, gave him the chance to stop the rush to war against Britain and the US, he rejected it. [21] Over the next four years, until mid-1945, whenever confronted with the option of peace, he chose war.

JapanFocus

Hirohito and the making of modern Japan - Google Books

And a critique of the above book

http://www.japanecho.com/sum/2002/2906_bix_reprint.pdf

[nitroae23]

Two atomic bombs,submarine blockade,Russians in Manchuria,Fifty Flattops on your doorstep,B-29's circling like pigeons in the park,population starving,and this guys worrying about securing the sacred mirror and other ancient trappings of power.Should have been photographed kneeling before MacArthur,as he was writing a formal apology to the people of China and Korea for the "recent unpleasantness". An apology those people are still waiting for.A modern day Nero that Hirohito was.JMHO

[Randomstudent]

Originally Posted by markg91359

Few peoples have as deep and rich a cultural and historical tradition as the Japanese people do. Ancient Japanese mythology actually held that their Emperor was a descendant of the Sun God. For decades, questioning his authority was unthinkable. The line of authority in Japan began at the top with the Emperor and descended downwards through designated public officials. Questioning the command of any official was the equivalent of denying the authority of the Emperor.

In the 1920's and 1930's, Japan became dominated by a cabal of military leaders. These leaders demanded that Japan assume its proper role as a modern nation. "Modern nations" according to these military leaders built up industries that produced steel and motor vehicles. If they lacked resources--as Japan does--then the proper thing for a "modern nation" to do was to establish colonies in much the way that Britain and France had done. In 1931, the Japanese ceased the Chinese province of Manchuria primarily because its natural resources lent itself to the production of steel and industrial goods. In 1937, the Japanese invaded most of coastal China. In effect, they made this into a "colony" as well. This lead to a US embargo on sales of rubber, gasoline, and most goods to Japan.

When the USA would not drop its embargo, the Japanese military made a decision to go to war against the USA. This was the very worst decision they could have made and ultimately cost the lives of millions of Japanese.

IMO, the one person who could have prevented this from occurring was Emperor Hirohito. In fact, there are some indications that the Emperor desired peace with the USA and other major powers before the war. He conveyed these notions in subtle ways, but those around him saw this.

1. Could Hirohito have prevented Japanese involvement in World War II by coming out strongly against the war?

2. Why didn't Hirohito speak out more strongly against the war in the beginning?

By the time Japan invaded China it was too late. Japanese involvement in World War II was in large part their war with the Chinese.

[noetsi]

No