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Why Was Emperor Hirohito Never Removed After the Second World War?
The Japanese emperor didn’t face war crime charges and continued to rule till he died
Hitler shot himself, sensing defeat at the hands of the Red Army. Mussolini was caught, executed, and hung upside down. Hence, one might expect Japanese Emperor Hirohito to face the same fate as other Axis leaders after WWII.
But the Japanese emperor didn’t die a gruesome death.
Far from it, he was never even removed from power. Nor did he have to stand trial for war crimes. The Japanese war crimes were so shocking that Nazis joined the rescue operations in Nanking.
This begs the question, why was Hirohito never held accountable? Why did the United States choose to overlook Pearl Harbor and later host Hirohito?
I am sure a mere “sorry, I did it, won’t happen again” wasn’t good enough for the Allied and especially the American leadership.
Why did they let Hirohito off the hook?
The short answer: convenience.
The long answer is a little more complicated and involves several factors that the American leadership had to consider.
Let us examine the events that led to the Japanese surrender and why, despite losing the war, Hirohito remained popular in Japan.
Japan surrenders and apologizes
On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito agreed to the terms and conditions set by the Allies. He announced the same via a nationwide radio broadcast. Though the emperor did not use the term “surrender” we treat this announcement as Japan’s official surrender.
Before they surrendered, the Japanese told the Allies their emperor should remain in charge. The Allies did not agree and demanded an unconditional surrender.
Following Hirohito’s announcement, the Allies named General Douglas MacArthur as the Supreme Commander in Japan.
