In Imperial Japan, Emperor Hirohito held absolute power over his nation, while contradictorily lacking control of his life or image in society. He was worshipped as a God, but forbidden even to speak directly to his people. These conflicting narratives made his interactions with them unique, and his transition in society after the war helps one understand the people's relationship with authority in modern Japan.
The Emperor's position in society may be summed up by a piece of advice he was given as a young man in 1921 from King George V of England, "Never interfere." [1] With this information, one might assume that perhaps Hirohito had no desire for communication with his people. However, when he attempted to rebel from this narrative, "The court was appalled by the 'attitude of familiarity toward the person of His Imperial Highness,'" and he was forced to retire behind his gilded bars. [2] Hirohito could not determine his image in the public eye, but his orders as a leader were taken without hesitation. During an army revolt in 1936, the Emperor ordered the soldiers to return to their barracks. When they refused, he declared, “'Those soldiers who disobey Our orders are not Our soldiers,' and he ordered the cannons to open fire." [3] This quote reveals an important fact about Hirohito: he may not have been able to choose how his people viewed him, but he was still very much an absolute leader, and he had the power, even if he rarely used it, to determine the direction of his nation. |
This idea is encapsulated most completely in the context of the Jewel Voice Broadcast, the Japanese surrender speech in World War II. The speech was the first time the Japanese people heard the Emperor's voice, and the reactions surrounding its release reveal valuable information about his relationship with his people. [4] Hirohito was as much a symbol as a person, representing the military might and success of the Japanese Empire. Therefore, any unfavorable actions by the Emperor were devastating to the reputation of the military.
The leaders of Japan believed that Hirohito would lose his honor if he spoke to his people in such circumstances, thereby ruining them, and they placed him under house arrest and attempted to prevent the distribution of his speech. [5] To understand the government leaders' decision, one must consider the effect of people hearing his voice. The speech humanized him, making him a person just like them, rather than the divine being he was portrayed as by the Japanese government. Their actions show how Hirohito's status in society had to be one of strength to maintain the status quo, but his power meant that he could change that position with a single speech. Hirohito singlehandely ended the Japanese Empire, and with that, tranformed his relationship with his people. |