On the last days of World War II, Suzuki and Tojo were facing disagreement with the intractable militarists as to whether or not Japan should ask for peace against America. Hirohito stepped in twice, once to declare his will for Japan to accept the Potsdam Proclamation, and the second time settling to accept every single Allied request with the exception of desiring to retain the imperial government. These two episodes make it appear as if Hirohito was not culpable for the stubbornness of Japan and by extension the atrocities committed by the Japanese military. However, exactly how much did Hirohito actually contribute to Japanese offenses?
On one side, Hirohito’s attitude near the end of World War II does provide some evidence that Hirohito was indeed a figurehead of the military, without the power of making true decisions. This view was further promoted by American forces occupying Japan immediately after World War II. American propaganda had circulated the idea among the Japanese public that Hirohito was along with the people a victim of Japanese nationalism. On the day of Hirohito’s death, Prime Minister Takeshita of Japan claimed that World War II “had broken out against Hirohito’s wishes.” The mystery surrounding Hirohito’s role in the war was further amplified by the fact that debates over Hirohito’s role in the war were taboo in Japan. This taboo was so extreme to the point where when the mayor of Nagasaki said that Hirohito was responsible for the war, he was shot by one of the members of an extreme nationalist group.
On the other hand, various historians have supported the idea that Hirohito indeed possessed a large amount of control over the Japanese military. One prevailing belief is that Hirohito along with his chiefs of staff and cabinet in fact made most of the decisions before and during the war, with Hirohito in fact not being the pacifist that he had appeared as at the end of World War II. After Hirohito’s death, the taboo of debating his role during the war became far less severe, allowing for much more educated discussion among scholars to take place. Consequently, Takeshita’s statement on the day of Hirohito’s death outraged many nations of the British Commonwealth. Many scholars hold that the belief of Hirohito’s lack of responsibility is in fact a myth. In addition, outside of his role in World War II, Hirohito has been attributed by many historians responsibility for the atrocities committed by Japanese troops against China. Evidence supporting these assertions include Hirohito’s orders to develop poison gas, later authorizing the deployment of gas against Chinese soldiers in the battle of Wuhan.
When we just look at Hirohito’s direct and visible role in the war, it would seem like Hirohito was a logical and pacifist figure, almost heroically saving Japan from the infuriating stubbornness of militarist Japanese leaders. Yet by looking at Hirohito’s telling actions outside of the hidden history of World War II, it becomes clear that Hirohito perhaps bears more responsibility than it would appear at first glance. Hirohito’s role in World War II remains a controversial topic, and it reinforces the idea that history has many angles, no one source containing the objective truth, with the actual truth often being difficult to ascertain.
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