Biography of Hirohito
Hirohito (1901-1989) was emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989. He took his throne during the time of rising democratic sentiment, but his country soon turned toward ultra-nationalism and militarism. During World War II (1939-45), Japan attacked nearly all of its Asian neighbors, allied itself with Nazi Germany and launched a surprise assault on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Though Hirohito later portrayed himself as a virtually powerless constitutional monarch, many scholars have come to believe he played an active role in the war effort. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, he became a figurehead with no political power.
hirohito Interview
By: Eric Chin
What events did you and Japan go through prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and how did that affect the United States?
"The series of events that led me to attack Pearl Harbor was me and my country trying to expand slowly into China. This lead to all out war between Japan and China in 1937. In 1940 we invaded French Indochina (Vietnam) in an effort to stop all imports into China, including war supplies purchased from the U.S. This move prompted the United States to embargo all oil exports, leading the my Imperial Japanese Navy to estimate that it had less than two years of bunker oil remaining. I did some planning that had been underway for some time on an attack on the "Southern Resource Area" to add it to the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, that we wanted in the Pacific."
"The series of events that led me to attack Pearl Harbor was me and my country trying to expand slowly into China. This lead to all out war between Japan and China in 1937. In 1940 we invaded French Indochina (Vietnam) in an effort to stop all imports into China, including war supplies purchased from the U.S. This move prompted the United States to embargo all oil exports, leading the my Imperial Japanese Navy to estimate that it had less than two years of bunker oil remaining. I did some planning that had been underway for some time on an attack on the "Southern Resource Area" to add it to the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, that we wanted in the Pacific."
Why did you decide to bomb Pearl Harbor?
" I decided to do this because the US broke the Japanese diplomatic codes. We were very agitated with this so decided to attack them. But before we attacked the US we warned them about the attack with a message to Washington but supposedly it was too late, we already started the bombing. I also decided to attack Pearl Harbor because it was so close to my naval fleets, which were already heading towards Hawaii. With the help of my Japanese spies in the US I heard that Pearl Harbor was one of the strongest naval fleets that the US had. I also had the knowledge to recognize that the first US force to fight back was the Navy so if I took them down first it will be an easier win for me, but I stood corrected. I also knew that the Navy could barely fight back if their largest, closest, and strongest fleet was down and the other US forces weren't as quick or strong as the US Navy in Pearl Harbor."
" I decided to do this because the US broke the Japanese diplomatic codes. We were very agitated with this so decided to attack them. But before we attacked the US we warned them about the attack with a message to Washington but supposedly it was too late, we already started the bombing. I also decided to attack Pearl Harbor because it was so close to my naval fleets, which were already heading towards Hawaii. With the help of my Japanese spies in the US I heard that Pearl Harbor was one of the strongest naval fleets that the US had. I also had the knowledge to recognize that the first US force to fight back was the Navy so if I took them down first it will be an easier win for me, but I stood corrected. I also knew that the Navy could barely fight back if their largest, closest, and strongest fleet was down and the other US forces weren't as quick or strong as the US Navy in Pearl Harbor."
What role did you and your country have in World War II?
"All I wanted to do during World War II was to gain resources and spread imperialism. Although my country joined the Axis powers, I never signed the Axis pact which will agree to fight the Allied powers but which also meant I can attack the Axis powers but they can also attack me. To gain resources to fight and spread imperialism I tried taking over countries near Japan like China and the Philippines. I tried leading attacks on these nations but it was not successful. I guess I never realized the great power each country had. When I realized that, my fantasy of taking over all of Asia and then claim the world would never become true. If this did happen, I would have been the most powerful man on earth and could have claimed the world because all of Asia controlled resources such as gasoline, which my country was low on because it is such a small country."
"All I wanted to do during World War II was to gain resources and spread imperialism. Although my country joined the Axis powers, I never signed the Axis pact which will agree to fight the Allied powers but which also meant I can attack the Axis powers but they can also attack me. To gain resources to fight and spread imperialism I tried taking over countries near Japan like China and the Philippines. I tried leading attacks on these nations but it was not successful. I guess I never realized the great power each country had. When I realized that, my fantasy of taking over all of Asia and then claim the world would never become true. If this did happen, I would have been the most powerful man on earth and could have claimed the world because all of Asia controlled resources such as gasoline, which my country was low on because it is such a small country."
What consequences did you and your country face?
"I realized that bombing Pearl Harbor was a mistake because it hurt all of my people both in Japan and in the US. I never realized the large power that the US could use on any nation. The US put every Japanese-American in concentration camps. I guess no one could have been trusted and I feel bad for the innocent who faced hardships. This also caused the US to become even stronger by using a new type of radar that could tell the difference between a bird and a plane. While installing the new radar systems, the US finally entered World War II, instead of staying neutral and supplying countries to fight the Nazis. The biggest consequence that we faced was the US bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This wasn't a regular bombing it was an ultimately large bombing. The US finally reviled the atomic bomb to the world testing it on my country making us look powerless and test rats.
"I realized that bombing Pearl Harbor was a mistake because it hurt all of my people both in Japan and in the US. I never realized the large power that the US could use on any nation. The US put every Japanese-American in concentration camps. I guess no one could have been trusted and I feel bad for the innocent who faced hardships. This also caused the US to become even stronger by using a new type of radar that could tell the difference between a bird and a plane. While installing the new radar systems, the US finally entered World War II, instead of staying neutral and supplying countries to fight the Nazis. The biggest consequence that we faced was the US bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This wasn't a regular bombing it was an ultimately large bombing. The US finally reviled the atomic bomb to the world testing it on my country making us look powerless and test rats.