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 | | Hirohito: The Emperor and the Man by Edwin P. Hoyt ISBN-10: 0275940691 ISBN-10: 0-275-94069-1 ISBN-13: 9780275940690 ISBN-13: 978-0-275-94069-0 Hardcover 1992-03-30 Praeger Publishers Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Book Description Was Emperor Hirohito to blame for Japan's expansionist military policies--and its atrocities--in World War II? Was he out to make the world his empire? This most extensive biography of the emperor in English challenges portrayals of Hirohito as either an unworldly scientist or a swashbuckling conspirator who tried to conquer the globe with military might. Using sources uncovered as recently as 1991, Hoyt reveals that the emperor was fundamentally a peace-loving man caught in a turbulent period when the Japanese military gained extraordinary power. He became the virtual prisoner of an Imperial system that prevented him from leading his country into an era of peace and prosperity, his boyhood dream. Hoyt's account, backed by a decade of research, details the emperor's repeated attempts to thwart the Imperial Army's headlong drive toward war. Even when defeat was certain, Hoyt maintains, Hirohito had to outmaneuver the army in order to surrender to Allied forces. Only then, in postwar years, did the emperor see his wishes for his country come true. To help the reader assess the emperor's life, Hoyt begins by examining the years preceding Hirohito's reign. He then focuses on the Manchurian incidents, the struggle for power in Japan, the China war, the global conflict and Japan's role in it, and the country's final capitulation. Critical passages on events preceding and during World War II, supported by the recently released diaries of men close to the emperor, detail the process by which Hirohito increasingly lost power as the army gained control. Turning his attention to the post-war years, Hoyt chronicles Japan's economic growth and the changing role of the emperor in Japanese society. Photographs from Japanese sources enhance the narrative. Hirohito: The Emperor and the Man offers new insight into the motives of a widely misunderstood leader. Hoyt's Hirohito is a quiet man with scholarly leanings; a patriot who loved his country but also admired Western qualities; a monarch who wished to act responsibly at a critical juncture but lacked the authority to do so. | ||
Reviews | ||
An overview of the reign of the Showa Emperor. I have read Hoyt's books about Yamamoto and Tojo and gave them an average read for various reasons. Hoyt in his book gives a better picture of Hirohito. The overview is very sympathic to the Japanese Emperor. The coverage is of his entire life, rather than just the war years. Hoyt's view is that Hirohito was overwhelmed by the militarists when it came to war. I think the judgement is still out on this. Overall I think the book gave a good summation of his reign, with a concentration on pre war and war material. The source material Hoyt uses are predominately Japanese, with some Western sources. This is a good read of Hirohito's reign. The reader will understand the factional disputes within the Army and Navy after reading this book. He/she will also understand how the Imperial Japanese Army forced the war on an unwilling Emperor and population. | ||