A monumental book

In writing Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, Herbert Bix has done a groundbreaking work in terms of revisionism and attempting to re-look at history in a more accurate and realistic light. Taking into account the powers available to Hirohito and the pressure that were played upon him, the text serves on multiple levels not only in redefining or rewriting history, but also in teaching some histories that go unchanged. The basic histories and the contrasts that Bix presents to us are interwoven so well that the importance of his work would not be evident to a layman without reading the introduction and theses.

Initially the sheer mass of the book will be discouraging to many potential readers, but in the best sense, the mass of the text is done justice by the mass of the subject it covers. While the events that Bix writes upon are well known, it was previously unclear as to what extent the Showa Emperor was involved. By going through the life of what he is trying to prove a powerful and directly involved military leader, Bix is also taking a lifetime to explain to us in so many different ways that he is correct. At times it is boring and at other times it is engaging. This is also the case of human life. If the author would have spared us more of the boring and given us more of the exciting the text could have been less of a leviathan and more thrilling page turning.

Aside from personal opinions, because academic texts often do not coincide with popular appetites, we shall investigate what this author deems to be some of the more exciting points in order to shed light on Bix’s argument, it’s credibility, and what it means in a larger sense. If the reader finds this text too bulky, then they will definitely have no need for the piece being reviewed.

Yet for the rest: keep in mind the biased viewpoint that both the review comes from and the book itself is unable to escape may not be the same as one held by a Japanese person. Having no sense of the sanctity of the emperor among other things could cause Westerners to hastily pass judgment and this is very important, because at the end of the war, it was partly the views that Bix is disputing that saved the Emperor from being tried as a war criminal.

The in-depth view of the education and childhood of Hirohito are quite revealing and were well put in the text, because it begins to tell us where the emperor is coming from in terms of his knowledge, outlook, expectations, and personality.

The expectations from Japanese society were quite great for the emperor and that is the case for a number of reasons. Traditionally being sanctified played no small part in emperor reverence. This was exacerbated by the propaganda and false histories imposed on the Japanese people. Even in the textbooks of school children, the emperor is seen as coming from a divine line that had traditionally held power in Japan. This concept is wrong in two senses. For many people outside of Japanese culture, it is hard to believe that a goddess of the sun decided to posit her progeny on an island in the pacific that was relatively insignificant in terms of world politics until recent centuries. The other glaring fact is that the Emperor’s line was traditionally not one with much political power. The imperial family was merely a formality, which received the Shoguns’ relatives for marriage purpose- and that is the real nature of power distributed among those political entities of historic Japan.
Hirohito was a fairly unexceptional child in terms of physique and intelligence. He is often described as someone who is weak. The image of Meiji as being strong, intelligent, & etc. was in the mind of those who would be educating the emperor and this was passed on to Hirohito—leading to his developing certain expectations of himself.

With his father’s mental incapacity, the entire nation, participants (for the most part) in emperor worship, needed someone who would be large and in charge. Hirohito in this sense was only responding to the prevailing winds of popular mood by taking the powers granted by the constitution of Meiji and exploiting them to his own use in dominating the national will.

Bushido the way of the warrior was integral in the Emperors education. The martial disciplines were highly regarded because of the idea that the emperor’s role as head of the military was prevailing as well, in some part, in response to his slight physique.

Always very grave and silent, Hirohito was seen as being passive up until and through the close of his youth. This image could possibly be said to help have reinforced the image that would be replaced later on when it was advantageous. Yet it is clear from he did and what was within his ability to do that the emperor did indeed exercise considerable control within his nation.

Receiving reports and briefs from military commanders as well as polling his advisers fro their opinions show an incredible interest on Hirohito’s part in directing the military. Throughout Bix’s book, he cites cases where the Emperor knew what was happening with the war effort beforehand and while it was playing itself out in the Asian theatre. In some cases, a general would disobey the Emperor and follow his own initiative. Situations like this would normally be completely unacceptable, but when Hayashi did so and was met with success, there was no imperial disapproval – showing certain fickleness from the head of power. This set the model for future behaviors in several instances.

This in itself wasn’t actually completely bad. It would be easy to assume that a disobedient military is a problem, but in reality, by not coming down upon them, Hirohito set a good precedent for allowing autonomy among corporal divisions, which would make for greater flexibility and spontaneity. As well, it is an excellent case for non-involvement.

After World War II, with the American negotiated terms, the Emperor was not punished for many crimes that are clearly defined b the war criminal tribunals. General MacArthur’s and the popular opinion held by Americans conveniently coincided with the one that would shield the emperor and maintain the status quo. While there was purgation occurring, it all started among the lower ranks, whereas Bix argues that the Emperor himself was responsible and therefore culpable.

In a time where we can see war criminals around us, it is very important that Bix makes this argument and it is also important to evaluate them in terms of our current situation. With war criminals going unpunished from Africa and Asia to the Americas it is the moral imperative of the people of the world to take these people and hold them accountable for their crimes against humanity. Whether it be a soldier of the Indonesian sponsored militias in West Timor or Henry Kissinger himself, there should be charges leveled and trials held. Had this knowledge that Bix is presenting been available earlier, there would have been serious implications and a definite onus upon the international community to act earlier.