Hirohito (1901–1989)

The crown prince Hirohito, the future emperor of Japan, pictured in 1921. As monarch, he was designated the ‘Imperial Son of Heaven of Great Japan’ and bestowed with semi-divine status. After Japan's defeat in World War II, his status was reduced to that of a constitutional monarch.

Emperor of Japan from 1926, when he succeeded his father Taishō (Yoshihito). After the defeat of Japan in World War II in 1945, he was made a figurehead monarch by the US-backed constitution of 1946. He is believed to have played a reluctant role in General Tōjō's prewar expansion plans. He was succeeded by his son Akihito.

As the war turned against Japan from June 1942, Tōjō involved him more in national life, calling upon the people to make sacrifices in his name. He belatedly began to exert more influence over his government as defeat became imminent in 1945, but was too late to act before the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His speech on Japanese radio on 15 August 1945 announcing the previous day's surrender was the first time a Japanese emperor had directly addressed his people. The Shōwa emperor ruled Japan with dignity during and after the US occupation following World War II. He was a scholar of botany and zoology and the author of books on marine biology.