Hirohito was the emperor of Japan for approximately 62 years. The personality of the emperor stands out as controversial. Some people said that he was a wise and generous man whose decisions were influenced by aggressive politicians. Other people said that it was Hirohito who was guilty of the Fall of the Japan Empire. They called him “Asian Hitler” and blamed him for the death of many people.
The interesting facts we are going to share with our readers today will shed light upon the personality and life of this man. Here they are…
Hirohito: 8 interesting facts about the emperor of the Empire of Japan
1. Hirohito didn’t always listen to his teachers
Hirohito was the first son of Crown Prince Yoshihito and Crown Princess Sadako. He was born on the 29th of April 1901. The high status of the prince had many privileges. One of them was a good education. In 1914, he graduated from the Peers School (Gakushūin) that was established to provide education for the children of Japan’s nobility. Soon after that, he started attending a special institute for the crown prince.
During the course of education, special attention was paid to the way an Emperor should behave. Believe it or not, but the future Emperor thought that not all the rules were adequate. Since early childhood, Hirohito understood perfectly well that theory and practice are two different things, an interesting Hirohito fact.
2. Hirohito’s most favorite habit was to keep silent
This was one of his tactics in communication that he used most often. If he couldn’t agree with someone, he preferred to keep silent That was his reply.
Hirohito believed that the habit allowed to avoid unnecessary disagreements and conflicts. Besides, it helped him to stay independent and objective in his views and judgements.
3. Hirohito spent some time in Europe
After graduating from the institute, Hirohito went to Europe for 6 months. He learned and noticed a couple of interesting things during his stay in the United Kingdom. One of them was the relaxed atmosphere of freedom that the Royal family members lived in. When in public, everything was different. The family members were quite reserved and silent. Commenting on that later Hirohito said that in Japan he often felt like a bird locked in a cage.
One more thing that drew his attention was the skill of ruling the country. George V was a powerful king. When in public, he presented himself as a person who preferred to never take any sides. He pretended to be unable to make any serious political decisions.
4. Hirohito successfully suppressed a rebellion
Hirohito took the throne in December 1926. An interesting fact about Hirohito is that the first years of his reign weren’t easy due to the financial issues in the country. Besides, the military power in the government was rapidly increasing.
In the effort to overtake the Empire, a group of military officials planned and carried out a revolt. This happened in February 1936. When the Emperor was informed about it, he ordered to immediately suppress it. On the 29th of February, the rebellion was suppressed by the Japanese Imperial Guard under the command of the Emperor himself.
5. Hirohito focused on the need for diplomacy and peaceful resolution of international conflicts
Hirohito didn’t support the idea of war against the US. The Imperial Conference was held in order to discuss whether the war should be started. All the speakers that took part in it agreed that diplomacy was not an option, and the only one who was against it was Hirohito, an interesting Hirohito fact.
During the conference, he recited one of the poems written by his grandfather. Despite his efforts, no one listened to what he was saying. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. What followed was the war that Japan lost. More than 2.5 million citizens of the Japan Empire died in it.
6. Hirohito was the first emperor to meet a President of the US
During the next period of his reign, Hirohito was actively participating in the life of his country. Together with his wife, he attended numerous events and ceremonies. He believed that maintaining a strong public image of the family was one of his most important duties.
He also paid attention to the issue of Japan’s diplomatic image re-establishment. In order to achieve this goal, he travelled abroad and met with many foreign leaders. The list of them included Queen Elisabeth II, President Gerald Ford and the leader of the United States.
7. Hirohito was interested in marine biology
Marine biology was one of Hirohito’s lifelong passions and he read books on various aspects of the science. In the Imperial Palace, there was a laboratory in which he carried out several experiments in order to prove his theories. He published several research papers under his own name. In one of them, he provided a detailed description of the very small in size species that lived in saltwater, an interesting Hirohito fact. The discovery made by him was a kind of scientific revolution of those days.
8. Hirohito died from cancer
Only after the Emperor died, it was stated that he had been suffering from duodenal cancer. In fact, he had digestive problems since 1987. He underwent an operation. The process of recovery seemed to go well. However, his health soon started to become worse. He died in January 1989.
Conclusion
Emperor Hirohito was the longest-lived and the longest-reigning emperor of Japan. He was one of those leaders who see the greatest power in the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
So, here are all the facts about Hirohito. We hope that the information provided was interesting to you. If you are interested, visit the Historical People Facts Page!
