by the way, hirohito (his first name, which no japanese people ever called him -- he was the emperor showa) is not blameless in japan's part in wwii but his prime minister, tojo, is the real villain. i was in japan when showa died, many decades after the war. he was still emperor, and beloved, and despite his assertions that he was not, after all, divine, many still thought he was. not so tojo, who was hanged for his war crimes.

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@Quazi oh if anyone was the scapegoat showa was. tojo made the decisions. showa was a botanist -- if he hadn't been born "divine" he probably would've had a career as a scientist. his birthday was april 29 and was celebrated as "the emperor's birthday" up until his death, after which it continued to be celebrated as "botany day" in his honor. tojo was a nogoodnik! he was responsible for pearl harbor, for one thing.

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