“You haven’t considered Emperor Hirohito.”
I certainly have considered him. He knew full well that Japan was defeated, and had no chance of survival if it didn’t surrender. He went against some of his hardline military officers, and was almost deposed because of it. In mid-August, 1945, in the Kyujo Incident, there was an attempted coup by military hardliners, but it was foiled.
“I certainly have considered him. He knew full well that Japan was defeated, and had no chance of survival if it didn’t surrender.”
There was also an attempt to steal the recording he made explaining the surrender.
Usually Hirohito sat in on the military meetings but said nothing and rubber stamped whatever the Generals and Admirals wanted to do.
After the political class took a try at getting the military brass to accept the idea of surrender which was rejected, a Japanese bureaucrat, who I can’t remember, took the opportunity to ask the emperor what he thought they should do. Everyone was shocked when Hirohito said they should ask for terms of surrender.
I vaguely remember the coup attempt, been a long time since I read about that time period.
You have to admit that Hirohito helped make the occupation bloodless and successful. It also didn’t hurt that MacArthur was in charge. He had a slightly better understanding of the Asian mind.