Why was Japan Allowed to Keep its Emperor After World War 2? (Short Animated Documentary)

Emperor Hirohito of Japan was a rare case of an axis leaders who didn't get Nuremburged or Tokyo'd and managed to keep his position (and life). But why? Why was Hirohito not punished and Japan allowed to keep its emperor?
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[@danielbaggs2726]

Me normally: "He died." Me writing an Essay: "His tenure was cut short by a minor case of mortality."

[@kevinkasmarski6635]

Gonna be my epitaph 🤣🤣🤣

[@kevinkasmarski6635]

Also "Fun fact..... No"

[@Cynderfan35]

*thud*

[@yesno8273]

I can relate when i try to hit that 300 minimum word count

[@TheConjurersTower]

Have to get to that 1000 word count somehow.

[@ShieldAre]

"And they still let the Emperor dress like an Emperor and have very nice things"

[@vikingman5384]

I see what you did there xD

[@matthewshipley739]

Hah, Bill Wurtz reference

[@campkira]

as long as people love him.. it is fine... still better than chinese that had no carea about anything...

[@mintrawr4124]

@@campkira wtf are you talking about. Blunt ass comment about Chinese.

[@paireon3419]

Ah, I see you are a fellow of culture as well.

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

US: You know we are probably going to bust you for war crimes. Hirohito: I don't like communists. US: Why didn't you say so? Welcome to the club!

[@Admiral45-10]

British in 1945: ,,So, new government was formed, right?" Polish Underground State: ,,I don't know, it seems like Soviets formed a puppet government in our country..." British: *Government is government! Now get the hell outta here!* And that's how Poland lost WW2.

[@MP-vc4nu]

US : We need to make sure Germany doesn’t stir up troblues again. *East Germany exists* US : Correction. We need to make sure West Germany get all kind of gold and money in the world just to beat their communist neighbour. 40 years later France, UK, Italy, Spain, All of Eastern Europe : Can we get more rights in EU Parliament? Germany : Shut up and go feed me more money and trades.

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

@@MP-vc4nu Honestly I think West Germany would of ended up in an economically better position anyway just due to the East being much more closed off, and the communist nation currency being nearly worthless outside of eastern bloc nations (Though the East German mark was probably the best of them). Pouring as much capital in to the west as western countries did though certainly helped build the juggernaut that is the German economy. Fun fact, the UK was opposed to German reunification just because of how strong a unified German economy would be, something they were proven correct about.

[@Dreagostini]

@@MP-vc4nu Just to mention it: In the name of capitalism, like everyone else is doing it too.

[@boomwizardyt7228]

@@DrewPicklesTheDark The UK are a bunch of pussies. “Oh my god Germany is a economic powerhouse must wage war on them. Also give them some war reparations too!”

[@crunchmcm8780]

Crazy. Hirohito during his reign witnessed the rise of the Japanese Empire, Great Depression, Mukden Incident in 1931, invasion of China in 1937, World war II and the empire at greatest extent, 2 atomic bombs, post war recovery, Olympic opening in 1964, Rise of anime, economic growth and almost the entire cold war dying in 1989, just as the cold war was ending.

[@taiwandxt6493]

And he probably could've lived even longer had he not gotten intestinal cancer.

[@nikel-]

​@@taiwandxt6493 *minor case of mortality

[@rahulverma8774]

i am sure someone their made film on him or atleast anime on him

[@kel000001]

do you think he's watched some hentai?

[@crunchmcm8780]

@@kel000001 you never know

[@reality8763]

"His tenure was cut short by a minor case of mortality"

[@TheJbjfan]

he just loves this phrase

[@guillaumegiroux9425]

He died in like the 1980's, he makes it look like it was shortly after WWII.

[@guillaumegiroux9425]

@Daood Zafar Thanks man!

[@KingcupXI]

I like Emperor who don't have any case of mortality.

[@jps30]

Please don't copywrite that line, I want it on tombstone.

[@itaybron]

They did make him say he's in fact a man and not divine which was a big deal for the Japanese

[@afiffarhati4580]

Wow , really? What was the reaction of the japanese people? Did they believe it or refused to? were they confused or in denial?

[@remembertotakeshowerspleas355]

@@afiffarhati4580 The peasants were shocked, everyone else was surprised because the emperor admitted to being human and not because they actually believed he was a god. He was effectively giving up a huge amount of his cultural significance to the Japanese people so it was a bit of a shock all around.

[@madensmith7014]

Definitely the reason why he caught the case of mortality, otherwise we would have lived forever.

[@madensmith7014]

@@giuseppemassari9970 A lot can be said about that considering the majority of Japanese people aren't even religious.

[@IntrovertedOreo]

@@giuseppemassari9970 He did retract it after the US occupation in Japan ended. Its like that guy who get punked out by a bully, wait for him to leave and then he whispers, "yeah, you better run." 😄 Japan is just living in denial if that's the case lol

[@intergalactic92]

Also, there was a strong feeling that the removal of Kaiser Wilhelm in Germany in world war 1 contributed to a feeling of resentment amongst the German people, and a feeling that the Weimar Republic were a bunch of traitors whom had abandoned their rightful leader, which fostered an environment that could easily be exploited by the Nazi party in their rise to power. The feeling was that they had made a mistake there and were determined not to make the same one again. Hirohito would be able to keep the Japanese people on side in a way that a completely new regime would find impossible.

[@simonl4657]

The Weimar Republic was run by a bunch of democratic socialist who royally managed to ruin the German economy, thereby leading to more extremist Socialist to take over. It has nothing to do with the kaiser

[@arishokqunari1290]

The difference is, that Wilhelm II was becoming more unpopular as the war dragged on and as soon as Max von Baden declared his abdication, he just feld the country, without fighting for his throne or openly saying that Max von Baden was wrong. He didn't put up any resistance. This seemed to the conservative Germans like cowardice and treachery, so there were no positive feelings about Kaiser Wilhelm II after 1918. Furthermore, his eldest son the crown prince was also rather unpopular

[@MTC008]

hirohito should've been tried and executed for the war crimes that his country committed and depose their monarchy like what happened to germany after world war 1, sparing hirohito from war crimes is like letting adolf hitler or benito mussolini go away from their war crimes unpunished

[@kitchenaidwhiskeyjones]

Except the Allies didn't remove Wilhelm. The German people did that themselves. There was a revolution in the streets, and the military refused to support him, so he abdicated and fled the country. This was on November 9, before the armistice was signed two days later.

[@shawndavis1480]

​@@kitchenaidwhiskeyjonesthe US has helped unpopular monarchs take/retake their thrones before. We tried it with the Soviets during their civil war and we did it with the Iranians by supporting the Shah. (Ironically, that's the core reason why those two countries dont like us today😅)

[@Toggingdave]

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Japanese Emperors have seldom had any real political power for over a thousand years. Between the Fujiwara Regents, the Shoguns, and then the various ministers and generals post Meiji Restoration, there have always been others running the show and telling the Emperor what he should do. As for the Showa Emperor himself (Hirohito), he actually expressed misgivings on several occasions with the way the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy were conducting themselves and the wars they were starting - including the attack on Pearl Harbor. The army ignored him and did whatever they wanted anyway, so the emperor eventually gave up trying - at least until the cabinet was deadlocked on whether or not to surrender at the end of the war. After the second bomb was dropped, he finally spoke up as the tie breaking vote and insisted on surrender. And for the first time in his reign, the generals and admirals actually listened to him and did what he said. Edit: Since people are still, years later, dropping comments trying to correct me, let me put this here. I live in Japan. At the time of this edit, I have lived here 15 years. That is 15 years of studying Japanese history. 15 years of visiting the places where these events happened and listening and/or reading first hand accounts from the people who were there. And while I may not claim to be a subject matter expert, I have very good friends who definitely are. So before you reply to this comment, go read all of the other replies below. Or just don't reply, as I am tired of repeating myself every few months because some new internet random thinks they know more about Japanese history than the writer who is actually there.

[@fortherepublic9878]

The funny thing is - The public literally listened to him for the first time as well.

[@osleem7845]

yes, his voice was never heard in public till then.

[@OriginalGazGoose]

It's actually damned unfortunate too. Hirohito could've stopped Japan's involvement in the war if he was more outspoken than he is. As the public viewed him as a living god he could've ran Hideki Tojo out of office and gave his anti-war sentiments. All the millions of needless death could've been stopped if a single, individual man simply and firmly put his foot down against the imperialist ambitions of his empire.

[@Toggingdave]

@@OriginalGazGoose Except, not really. There were several times that he did try to put his foot down and even an incident where he straight chewed out senior military officials. The military then promptly ignored him and did whatever they wanted anyway. And Hideki Tojo didn't even become Prime Minister until well after the wars had started, and even then only after all of the other non-military Prime Ministers had either been assassinated or run out of office by the army. It is interesting how Tojo is often held up as some sort of evil mastermind who single handedly lead Japan into the war and all of the atrocities that were committed by the Japanese troops. In reality, by the time he became PM in 1941, the war in China had been going on for years and planning for the attack on Pearl Harbor was already well underway. Don't misunderstand, he was responsible for allowing a lot of the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese troops and was definitely part of the problem. But he was NOT the absolute dictator who pushed Japan to war that a lot of people seem to think he was. And it wasn't just the Generals and Admirals in Tokyo either who blatantly ignored the will of the Emperor and the government. The staged attacks on railways in Manchuria (Manchukoku as the Japanese called their puppet state there) and the incident on Marco Polo Bridge were all done after the army brass in Tokyo specifically ordered the commanders there to NOT do anything to start a war in China. The local commanders were even more ultra-nationalist than the rest and did it anyway. Once the deed was done and the war was started though, the generals in Tokyo decided it was easier to save face by signing off on the whole thing after the fact than it would be to admit that they couldn't control their troops. And when the civilian government condemned the attack on China, young army officers started assassinating government ministers. If you are interested and want to actually know what you are talking about, I suggest actually taking the time to study and learn about the rise of Japanese militarism and how the Japanese government functioned - or really failed to function- in the 1920s and 1930s. It is fascinating reading, and would be a hilarious comedy of errors and egos if it didn't ultimately lead to atrocities, war crimes, and so much death. Surprisingly, a good place to start is the recent series Extra History did on Japanese Militarism. Their channel can be pretty hit or miss on some of the stuff they cover, but this particular series is really well done and, while a bit oversimplified, it does a great job of showing how the entire system in Japan during the 1920s and 30s was hopelessly broken to the point that no one person could have fixed it. Not even the Emperor himself.

[@noragallivant]

There was a very strong military class. They tried to prevent his radio speech surrendering from being broadcasted and attempted to assassinate the prime minister (I forget whether they succeeded). It was really Tojo who was in charge.

[@britishfish3539]

To be honest I can see a giant Truman in a future Godzilla film.

[@Ake-TL]

Abu Omer StalGhidora

[@timmmahhhh]

Harry likely thought the same about his omnipresent mother in law.

[@Alusnovalotus]

He WAS Godzilla!!! Symbolically.

[@adambomb5381]

Hindsight being 20/20. Truman was an idiot in my opinion. He removed MacArthur because he wanted to invade China. The years between the bombs being dropped on Japan and the Rosenbergs giving the secrets to a nuclear weapon to the USSR was the most wasted opportunity in world history. I know it sounds horrible but imagine a world where we listened to General Patton and wiped the USSR and communism off the face of the Earth

[@britishfish3539]

@@adambomb5381 I agree that the nukes were not necessary and Japan had been attempting to negotiate a surrender for over a year. However nuclear bombs are a good thing because if America and her allies had attacked the USSR it would have started a war more terrible than the last.

[@jonbaxter2254]

Allies to Germany: You will pay for your deeds! Allies to Japan: You cool man, see you next week

[@Janny890]

Allies to Germany: you'll pay for your dee- America: yo, Is that a rocket,? Von braun: Ja America: You're hired!

[@brandonlyon730]

Well they still dissolved Japan’s original empire including the occupation of Korea.

[@Random_Person.-.]

They did pay...they got 2 nukes dropped on them.

[@willbowden6897]

They even kept basically the same system of government. They just renamed the Imperial Diet the National Diet, replaced the House of Peers with the elected House of Councillors, and put in provisions in the constitution to stop the military and the emperor from taking over

[@jic1]

@@brandonlyon730 And a significant number of their political and military leaders ended up hanged or serving life sentences.

[@CelestialSwann]

0:30 One of the best History Matters bit ever.

[@chip599XX_VGRLeader]

T Pose?

[@breaderikthegreat3224]

Hirohito:This is the 10th time today I have to do this

[@The_whales]

0:55 truman not to scale

[@jacobwiren8142]

0:52 *Truman not to scale* That caught me off guard!

[@harveya1a952]

We all love a bit of history matters, don’t we?

[@bigchap5794]

That’s... why we’re here

[@kkillerz6991]

Tbf

[@aiiv7839]

Yep!

[@justinthomasjr.36]

Yes

[@jonbaxter2254]

James Bisonette the most

[@Achillez098]

The most important thing this channel has ever taught me: Dying is fatal

[@TheRennes1997]

People die when they are killed

[@bificommander]

And results in a loud thud.

[@gumdeo]

Dying usually is fatal, but it is possible to be clinically dead and come back to life.

[@aa2339]

And it happens only once -individually. And to everyone -inevitably.

[@edwinhuang9244]

And living can be fatal

[@Tytoalba777]

0:43 it should be noted (and emphasized) that keeping the emperor wasn't Japan's only condition for surrender, at least pre-nuking. Japan also wanted to try their own war criminals instead of handing them over to the allies (ie, letting said war criminals get off scot-free) and keeping their pre-war territory, such as Korea and Taiwan.

[@colindaniels945]

The other thing to note is that Hirohito was essentially a figurehead during WW 2. The true power was Tojo and the military It's the same reason why Italy's king wasn't removed after WW 2.

[@declangaming24]

Victor emmanuel III wanted peace but he was a constitutional monarch so had limited powers mussolini gived Victor emmanuel titles as king of Albania and emperor of Ethiopia the prince becomes leader of itallian east Africa

[@willbowden6897]

It's also expressly written into the Japanese post war constitution that the Emperor can have no say whatsoever over the government. The Diet led by the Prime Minister holds all power. While this is generally the norm in constitutional monarchies very few actually put it into law with one of the few other examples being Sweden. Technically Queen Elizabeth II could dissolve parliament and rule with her reserve powers (although she would then be deposed) in a way that the Japanese Emperor simply cannot

[@alexbennett7018]

Queen Elizabeth the 2nd lost the power to dissove parliament with the fixed term parliament act 2011.

[@willbowden6897]

@@alexbennett7018 you're right, I didn't know that, just looked into that. She could still take over as a dictator like Charles I (obviously she wouldn't), but with parliament still in session she could be easily voted out and a Republic declared, just like what happened to Charles.

[@RafitoOoO]

I mean, it all comes down to popularity. If she's way more popular than the parliament she could in theory force her powers and get away with it, although I doubt she'd ever do something like that.

[@willbowden6897]

@@RafitoOoO Yes I agree. For example, in WWII if Germany had installed a puppet government like they did in France, the people would have stayed loyal to King George VI. The King would likely have had to flee to Canada or the US, but if the allies later retook London they would have reinstalled him as King and the people would have sided with him over the puppet government. Thankfully, they never surrendered so we never had to go through that

[@Nerdspheric]

The emperor in Japan didn’t had any power in the government before the Meiji era, the Shōguns ruled like prime ministers while the emperor was just a spiritual leader, It’s pretty much the same now, but with democracy.

[@RJ-xj2vf]

If the Americans had replaced Hirohito with his son. Then Akihito, the former emperor who is still alive and abidicated last year, would have ruled Japan for 74 years

[@terrorgaming459]

Longer then queen Elizabeth hes still alive and chillin

[@matthewgillies7509]

The King of Romania would have had the beaten, if he hadn't been deposed first by the pro-Axis camp, and again deposed by the Soviets post war.

[@PHX787]

His son would’ve been in his early teens at that point right?

[@tanmaynegi3169]

@@PHX787 Yeah basically, and it's not really uncommon for young folks in royalty to be the king/emperor, even if they're too young to rule, and if that's the case, they have a caretaker by their side until they reach a mature age in most cases, I guess. Considering the fact that the Japanese emperor never really had any true power, both pre-war and after it, it wouldn't be too hard to replace the emperor, but it would be just more work, and also the people need to be convinced about it, I guess.

[@ZeroEagle667]

Wait Japan still has an emperor?

[@lilituworldorder]

can we just take a minute to appreciate their consistency and quality of these uploads? looking forward to a video each week is one of my favourite things. if you see this, thank you for everything, Mr History Matters.

[@roberthudson1959]

It is very simple. After the post-WW1 chaos in Germany and Russia, MacArthur (or someone above him in the chain of command) realized that keeping Emperor Showa in power would give Japan a keystone around which the new government could be built. The decision worked out spectacularly.

[@cyroostetherington3335]

A free KZbin movie called “emperor” is a master crafted movie about whether or not to keep the emperor post war

[@beefyblom]

I've been seeing it in my recommended for some time now, now I gotta watch it

[@linkfromzelda1002]

Link please.

[@MrKluckie13]

I was also going to recommend that people watch that movie.

[@edwardmorris6634]

The Flying Dutchman yes

[@bigblockman11]

is it that 2013 moive?

[@JoelJames2]

America: "Yeah, we can use Japan in the fight against communism" Japan: "K. Amerika-san, I finished dismantling my military" America: *YOU DID WHAT*

[@johnilarde7087]

America got played lol

[@Admiral45-10]

Japanese soldiers in 1941: ,,We just attacked Pearl Harbour" Hirohito: *You what?*

[@Admiral45-10]

@BathTubMongrel Mussolini didn't change sides - at the beginning of Italian Civil War he was taken out of power and later arrested. Then Germans liberated him, put on leadership of Italian Social Republic (the German puppet state), and then shot after trying to flee Italy😉

[@yibithehispanic]

Didn't the US forced the japanese to dismantle their military and later in the Korea War they realized that was a really bad idea?

[@haberak3310]

@@yibithehispanic If I remember right, the US only said Japan couldn't declare war (they could still fight defensive wars and take part in military action). When Japan redrafted their constitution, it was included and the Japanese military was changed to a smaller purely defensive force under the name of the JSDF (Japanese Self Defense Force)

[@chip599XX_VGRLeader]

2:24 Cold War in 1980s USA: Ronald Reagan UK: Margaret Thatcher USSR: Mikhail Gorbachev Hirohito died in 1989

[@maplejaeger1285]

2:09 -United States and Japan along with allies against the Soviet Union "You suck" That killed me so hard LMAOROF

[@franrobert80]

Why the emperor was maintained in Japan? Just look what happened to Germany after the Kaiser

[@icecoldpolitics8890]

franrobert80 fair point

[@kalyka98]

True point however the Kaiser wasn't really seen as a god figure in Germany and he wasn't the kind of person willing to share powers

[@trollinape2697]

@@kalyka98 its a joke

[@drevenypribor6144]

@@kalyka98 Unlike Japan in WWII, one of president Wilson's condition after WWI was for german Kaiser to abdicate... german government leaders such as Ludendorff, Hindenburg and von Baden were monarchists and they did not want to accept that and thus Ebert was willing to lead the nation after Kaiser. Until late 1919 german people were still in favor of Kaiser except radical left lead by Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg.

[@LordDim1]

Funny thing is, the German Republic was rather accidental. Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated and fled on 9 November, leaving a government headed by Max Von Baden and Friedrich Ebert, of the social democrats. Ebert wanted to preserve the monarchy in the form of some other member of the house of Hohenzollern, and waned Max Von Baden (the popular Chancellor) to act as temporary regent, but Max didn’t think he was up to it and declined. The German Republic was proclaimed by a minister from the reichstag balcony, during a lunch he was having with Ebert. Ebert briefly went to the bathroom, and the minister seized the opportunity, rushed out onto the balcony and declared a republic before a crowd which was assembled outside. When Ebert returned from the bathroom he was utterly furious, but the damage was done

[@thecoolerjon3506]

Damn if I saw Hirohito T posing as he descended from heaven I'd probably worship him too

[@HBKnowItAll]

Jesus is T-Posing in Brazil.

[@WestRail642fan]

@Green Weed You're going to Brazil

[@aa2339]

But I believe one the conditions was to de-divinise him.

[@susactivities_]

@Honeybunny /ハニーバニー it’s u again.. I see u everywhere

[@susactivities_]

@Honeybunny /ハニーバニー it’s u again.. I see u everywhere

[@hiyahandsome]

Thanks for explaining this puzzle so clearly and concisely. You really pack a lot of great information into your videos, they are terrific.

[@alpi5459]

This channel is probably one of the best informal channels I’ve ever seen and it never gets boring watching these lol

[@jacko250]

2 possible future video ideas: Why wasn’t Italy trialled like the other axis powers after WW2? Why are China, France, Russia, UK and the USA the 5 only Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council?

[@Monsuco]

The allies in WWII were the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the British Empire, the French and America. Thus they got to be the national that set up the UN and they (or their successor nations) got to be permanent members on the one UN panel that had anything resembling power and have a veto over it's decisions.

[@LazyAndFabulous]

And the Italian resistance made a chance where they were able to conquer against Benito's regime, because of this, the West didn't want to punish Italy due to their actions during ww2, and they're aware that a Communist revolution would happen if they punish the Italians harsh.

[@JarrodFrates]

@@LazyAndFabulous A communist revolution nearly happened as it was. I'm not sure there was a more active and politically powerful communist movement in Western Europe than the one in Italy. Had some of the complicit parties been weakened by trials, the communists might have taken a foothold in Italy, making the Greek communists even more likely to take power. NATO could have been strategically much weaker if the Eastern Med was effectively under Soviet control.

[@CallieMasters5000]

You make the UN, you get to make the rules.

[@electricpizza5774]

There are several factors why Italians weren't put on trial for war crimes: 1) The overall amount of war crimes committed by Italy were not on the scale of those committed by Germany and Japan. Not even close. 2) Most of the war crimes attributed to Italy occurred in the context of African colonialism. Some African countries like Ethiopia and Libya wanted to try some Italians for crimes against humanity, but the British did not allow that to happen since they feared that it might set a precedent that could be used against them by their own colonies in the future. 3) The allies wanted to make sure that Italy was on their side in the upcoming Cold War. Harsh treatment of Italy might have lead to Italy becoming communist. This was especially important to the British, who, for the sake of their empire, wanted to ensure control of the Mediterranean. Passing through the Mediterranean is a much faster route from the UK to India than going around Africa. As a side note, this is also the reason Churchill was so keen on making sure Greece didn't go communist. 4) None of the major victors of WW2 (USA, USSR, UK, France, China) really held much of a grudge against Italy after the war. The Soviets wanted to see the Germans punished and the Chinese wanted to see the Japanese punished, but it doesn't seem like the people living in the big countries that won WW2 felt much of a desire to get revenge on Italy.

[@dagamerking]

I always enjoy how he talks about death. "His tenure was cut short by a case mortality" sound more elegant than "he died"

[@ar0568]

“He caught a minor case of death”

[@MinusTheRogue]

He stopped with living and proceeded with death.

[@elgatofelix8917]

Or how about "he passed on"

[@ihateyankees3655]

The dictators of Thailand and Spain managed to stay alive and in power too, but they were also minor axis nations with a limited role in WW2.

[@videonofan]

Frabco was neutral during WW2, despite having been supported by Hitler and Mussolini (mainly because Spain couldn't afford it)

[@ihateyankees3655]

@@videonofan you gotta give credit to Franco for listening to his generals when they told him Spain wouldn't even be a speed bump for the allies

[@admiralradish]

Im glad you made this video. Because of the history they teach in schools now does not lead to an as obvious conclusion as it was when i was in school. Good Job and keep Rocking!

[@willmccormick947]

"Truman not to scale" made me laugh out loud. Thank you for that and for this whole video and series.

[@AlphariusJingYuan]

Fun fact: Hirohito favored peace over war and didn’t want to start a war, but the military controlled the country and so they started the war in Asia, although Hirohito protested. The military worshipped Hirohito but had total control over Japan.

[@alexanderherckenrath7099]

I read somewhere that Hirohito used his mahjong power to win a mahjong game against Dougas McArthur, and thus was allowed to remain emperor.

[@ryansearle6157]

Something that should be noted is that they did force Hirohito to be in a picture standing next to General MacArthur (who was much taller), which was then published in the newspapers to show the Japanese people that he was not the divinely chosen leader of Japan. From this point on the Emperor of Japan was merely a constitutional monarch with little actual power, so in a way he was removed from power.

[@privateeyety5735]

Because James Bisonette threatened to withhold funding if they got rid of the Emperor

[@Jokkkkke]

Japan's patreon was really in the dumpster at the end of WWII

[@privateeyety5735]

@Joe And was released soon after since the Judge was also funded by James Bisonette

[@cu11csti74]

Who is he

[@privateeyety5735]

@@cu11csti74 he the guy they give thanks to for support on Patreon

[@B3RyL]

James Bisonette in 1945: "No, the Emperor stays. It'll make for an interesting video on History Matters."

[@KingAgniKai]

"Making the Americans fairly grumpy since now they had to do all defending" big brain Japan lol

[@casuallatecomer7597]

And that's more or less how the Japanese Self Defence Force (Postwar Japanese military) was formed, with the Korean War going on, the US released they couldn't protect Japan while fighting in Korea, so the Japanese were authorised to have some military capability (initially called "national police reserves" and "coastal safety force") before becoming the JSDF.

[@thebravegallade731]

@@casuallatecomer7597 which... became one of the most powerful naval forces in the world lol, powerful enough to challenge the chinese navy head on if it came down to it.

[@blackpowderuser373]

Gotta love how the most powerful and technologically advanced Asian navy... is technically an extension of the coast guard.

[@casuallatecomer7597]

​@@blackpowderuser373 Not really, the JMSDF was an _offshoot_ of the Japanese Coast Guard early on, however, the modern JMSDF and Japanese coast guard are under different government ministries.

[@blackpowderuser373]

@@casuallatecomer7597 I see. And now they are slowly dropping the pretenses. Especially with the Izumo carriers.

[@captaindynamite8936]

Finally, a History Matters video in which I knew everything that was said before watching. Still excellent content either way, keep it up.

[@lordvolvo]

"The emperor wasn't some official" Wilhelm II. After WW1💀

[@theskepticalwhaler4946]

0:54 *Truman not to scale Thanks for the clarification there, I definitely needed it.

[@cannonball666]

Japanese citizen: "Look, the emporer has no power" Hirohito: "Off with his head!" Japanese guard: "Ummm...no"

[@sakataginko9092]

At least he could focus on his personal scientific hobbies instead of all that boring government stuff.

[@TeyuYagua]

@@sakataginko9092 yeah, like study fish.

[@Ake-TL]

Erick Chaves Soares heh, JoJo reference

[@Alusnovalotus]

Ummm. Actually the citizen would never say this and if one did the rest of the populace would think it an affront to the nation. The emperor wouldn’t need to order his decapitation, the citizen would be peer pressured into committing Seppuku for his disrespect. 🌸 🗡

[@marinusvonzilio9628]

@@Ake-TL Never watched that anime, but it works even if it is not a reference. His actual hobby was marine biology. Plus, seconding what alus nova said, pretty much spot on in regards to the deep reverence your average Japanese of the time had for the Emperor.

[@kurtmeyer6635]

Love your work honestly

[@joevasquez3434]

I completely comprehend now. Thank you, video well done !!

[@robbielewis4740]

They didnt lose an emperor, they gained one. Emperor MacArthur.

[@Artorias1234]

no, he was the new Shogun

[@robbielewis4740]

Ha! True

[@timfortune9]

It was more like they went back to the pre-Meiji state of things. There was the Emperor, but all the power lay with the Shogun (MacArthur). They even called him Shogun while he was in command.

[@phuckyou5820]

@@timfortune9 Gaijin Shogun

[@boomblam5738]

Geez this just reminds me of that one dumbly cheesy book called "The Foreign Shogun".

[@nickkei2838]

Historically speaking, Hirohito was a believer of a constitutional monarchy and rarely intervened into politics while the constitution kind of allowed exclusive rights. There was a debate on how to interpret the part which said that “the execution of the emperor’s rights are done through advice of the ministers”, whether the advice was a requirement or not. Hirohito mostly followed the decision of the parliament with some exceptions. 1. When ultranationalist group assassinated ministers in an attempt to bring back power to the emperor, to which the emperor ordered total subjugation of the coup, and 2., when Japan declared surrender. Legally speaking, he had all the rights and powers to prevent the war from happening. But what he did was just approving anything decided by the parliament. That’s the debate of whether he is responsible for the war.

[@AndrewMitchell123]

yeah, following the decision of parliament pretty much full of militant, power-hungry and war-mongering people, seems like a good idea to me.... that's like for US president to follow the advice of industrial military complex, oh wait...

[@mc95323]

Nice comment Many Western people simply think that Hirohito was an equivalent to Hitler or Mussolini, but he was not He has expressed his will to avoid war with US to his ministers (and basically everyone in the Imperial Conference agreed), and they failed I would argue that if Hirohito had the courage to take charge, the war with China and the US would be avoidable, especially the latter

[@renebaebae0600]

And the fact that Hirohito does not even try to revert some of the rules that are being imposed by the new constitution proves that Hirohito does not interested in ruling the country

[@EricZakh]

@@mc95323 He might have had the legal power to do so, but he did not have enough people on board with the idea to move in that direction and keep power. At least that is the likely explanation.

[@aa2339]

And there is some speck of a moral high ground, for taking on the Western colonial powers in Asia.

[@fabigato]

you just earned a new subscriber, great 3 min summary

[@enigma4345]

Just recently discovered your channel and gotta say, I love it. Hilarious and informative at the same time.

[@dsxa918]

Fun fact:

[@samiamrg7]

1:11 I didn’t know I needed to see McArthur in a powdered wig today.

[@DiracComb.7585]

I’m really sad there was no end credit sequence, those are my favorites

[@fangabxyfangabxy8563]

Paul A. You mean post credit sequence? If so yeah I agree

[@morth7481]

I will just say thank you for being such a helpeful channel for me. Your videos have helped me so much in school and these are also entertaining (Sorry for my english)

[@kimmoreels7950]

thank you for the video

[@winstonho0805]

0:07. Running through a field saying "I'm Alive." Considering what happened to Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, Yamamoto, and Roosevelt, truer words have never been spoken...

[@akiramasashi9317]

Everyone always asks "who is James Bisonette" But nobody asks "how is James Bisonette"

[@bakwertgeek2544]

No why is James Bissonette?

[@l.r9443]

No Where is James Bisonette?

[@aiiv7839]

How about WHAT is James Bisonette?

[@legowagfles7287]

*Bissonnette

[@erenozturk6638]

James Bisonette is owner of large restaurant chain across East coast (origin is New York of course) and I'm sure he is fine

[@reyeloso8093]

I really like how digestible your lessons are, LOL Ive binged since the HRE to here

[@MYwinters1945]

"Truman not to scale *" Lovely heheh

[@AndresJames54]

Really that should Emperor Showa as that was his chosen Imperial name Saying Emperor Hirohito would be like a Japanese academic talking about the reign of King Albert when discussing King George VI.

[@AndresJames54]

Be*

[@JosePineda-cy6om]

It was done on purpose, as part of McArthur's efforts to demote the emperor's image as a living god, to ensure that *everytime* western media talked about the man, they'd use his birth name rather than his regal name. Likewise the relaxed pose you see McArthur adopted in the photo he took with the defeated emperor: again, to show Hirohito's humanity and destroy any pretension of godliness

[@luisss3929]

@@AndresJames54 not quite since you know Albert and George are different people. A closer comparison would be calling pope Francis by is secular name Jorge

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

@@luisss3929 George VIs christian name was Albert, named after his father, Victoria's huisband, but he adopted the regnal name George VI

[@AndresJames54]

@@luisss3929 Yes, George VI was christened Albert. He chose the name George, after his father, upon being crowned. In the same way that Edward VII's birth name was David.

[@rocknrollstar2798]

MacArthur deserves a lot of credit for recommending the Emperor stay as well. He knew the culture.

[@greenboi6640]

@zain mudassir I was going to say that.

[@Niko-1303]

@zain mudassir he nearly caused a nuclear attack (not war, because you know, anybody except US had nuclear weapons at that time) because he didn't underestimate chinese communists, and today we see the results...

[@skepticcat2443]

@@Niko-1303 Nuking communist China would assure the USSR's retaliation against the US, and I surely hope you're not advocating for a nuclear holocaust just because modern China is a dictatorship.

[@velcranoxofficials9970]

Your telling me any other general wouldnt know about the culture?

[@rocknrollstar2798]

@@velcranoxofficials9970 Many Generals would not have bothered, especially in that time trying to learn about a culture so diametrically different from them.

[@Hambone51315]

Love your stuff. Keep It up!

[@oliversherman2414]

Great video as always 👍

[@joshua182able]

1:34 is that stalin driving the middle boat? mustache?

[@emp437]

Nice catch

[@hiimryan2388]

Iron Stash did you stare at the screen for EVERYTHING or was this a coincidence...

[@emp437]

@@hiimryan2388 wasn't really that hard to spot tbh

[@sharkestry1119]

he needs to make sure his soldiers still return to the USSR after the fight is over and don't just decide to stay in Japan

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

@@hiimryan2388 he is in fact named Iron Stash for a reason

[@thecrusader8247]

The funny thing is before I got the notification for this video I was watching the video talking about why Japan wasn’t split

[@sus5206]

Lol

[@aa2339]

They were still somehow split north-south as the Russians got back the Sakhalin’s which they lost earlier in the Russo-Japanese war.

[@merouln700]

0:54 "Truman not to scale" I love those subtle details, I can tell you have fun animating those videos.

[@evanthesquirrel]

Your depiction of Douglas MacArthur works sublimely with this art style. His pipe is great.

[@sakataginko9092]

0:10 is kind of an asterisk. From what I’ve read, the Emperor thought it was a bad idea to go to war, but since the military basically had control over the government, (reminiscent of the Shogunate) he couldn’t do anything to stop the momentum and just hoped for the best.

[@westharrison9936]

Dude. Just apologize for the shit Japan did.

[@Yabuturtle]

@@westharrison9936 You do know the emperor has no real power right?

[@benjicool2808]

The Tokyo trials were such a mess

[@mattresbert]

As always Brilliant stuff

[@Awakeningspirit20]

It's crazy to see photos and videos from the 1980s of Ronald Reagan meeting Emperor Hirohito, who died in 1989, the end of the Cold War. The guy literally lived through most of the 20th Century and was emperor during the most pivotal parts of it! I'd say our government liked him very much by the end of his reign, we love Japan!

[@hobog]

That emperor was heavily pressured into not opposing Japan's military leaders, or so I was taught in IB history. He encouraged bombing pearl harbor??

[@Admiral45-10]

No - he was no less surprised than Americans themselves, when he heard Japanese Army did something like this.

[@envinyatar5712]

No, he didn't. Emperor Hirohito was concerned by the lack of success of the occupation in Manchuria, and he scolded the military leaders about it. General Sugiyama later wrote that Hirohito asked him if China is a vast country which is difficult to control, then how would Japan control the Pacific Ocean which is much bigger. In Admiral Nagano's own words: "I have never seen the Emperor reprimand us in such a manner, his face turning red, and raising his voice."

[@va_sirberpasir9708]

Well, considering most of the things mostly done by Tojos order and Emperor effevtively in castle captivity just like shogun era.

[@Balgore8]

Love the animations

[@sergeantsharkseant]

I think it is also important to note that it was a bit harder to prove the emperors involvement in much of the war. As every general etc took the fault for themselves and also because the power relation was a bit weird

[@scuzzy983]

I’m always so impressed by your graphics, the range of topics you cover and the amount of information you manage to fit into 3 minutes History Matters, keep up the great content 👌

[@schumachersbatman5094]

Indeed the cutting edge graphics is the first thing I notice too. Can't imagine what the render time is like. It's as if I'm there.

[@scuzzy983]

Schumachers Batman Maybe I should have said ‘animations’ rather than graphics 😂

[@BOZAR96]

0:11 Hirohito did not think it was “a swell idea” and was very reluctant to involve japan in war against the west. It was chiefly the Japanese military and his own brother that pushed him towards aggressive foreign policy. In fact he specifically put Tojo in as PM so the military could take the blame for Japan’s warmongering.

[@Carnifici]

Thanks, was looking for comment fixing that blunder said in the video. I know it's always "simplified" but Hirohito wasn't in favour of the war, or at least not with the USA. But - sadly, he didn't really have that much power in the government and was merely a stamp, signing military decisions and acts.

[@jayk4828]

wasn't it primarily the Japanese navy, because even the Japanese Army was against hostilities towards America

[@seepons]

That was the idea that US government sell to the whole world that Hirohito is relunctant to go to war to against the west but personally I do not believe that

[@BOZAR96]

Limp “military” encompasses the IJN and IJA

[@blenterbl]

Hirohito’s uncle was involved in the whole genocide and conquest of China but he was given immunity too , Which still upsets the Chinese today, other than that Hirohito actually stepped in and unconditionally surrendered.

[@nortemark4454]

I came here for knowledge but i stayed because your art and animation is so interesting to watch

[@briennejones3214]

The sight gag of (insert historical figure here) skipping through a meadow because they (insert specific success here) might just be my favorite running gag on KZbin...

[@Alkivo]

Hell yea new vid

[@Spoon80085]

One of the few you tubers that improved in every way. I would like some more medieval videos though

[@HistoryMatters]

Good news then because Saturday's video is about Medieval banks.

[@FreaKCSGOHacker]

@@HistoryMatters spoilers! :O

[@calm1tbh]

@Wrwo James That's modern.

[@solvdrage1456]

@Wrwo James Nope, James Bissonette

[@Spoon80085]

@@HistoryMatters How do you come up with questions I *SHOULD* be asking everytime god damn

[@prakashghumaliya2002]

Thank you for video sir 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💐💐💐💐

[@kc4cvh]

Incidentally, he's now known as Emperor Showa. That's because Japanese emperors get a new name when their soul enters the Yasukuni Shrine.

[@debranchelowtone]

Even the whole era of his reign is named Showa.

[@user-yo4ud4yh9z]

靖国神社は国に殉じた兵士とかを祀るためであって天皇はそこにいないよ、昭和天皇は武蔵野陵に葬られてる

[@MightyElo]

I’ll guess I’ll have to do some re-reading of emperor Hirohito. When I read about him I got the impression that he was hesitant about declaring war on the USA, it was mostly the military generals that wanted to go through with it. I remember reading a book years ago that he read a poem in front of his military generals that went along the lines of “why can’t we all just get along”. Then again this was a Book I read more than 10 years ago, and probably more research has been found.

[@judas3952]

よもの海みなはらからと思ふ世になど波風のたちさわぐらむ

[@novidn1011]

That poem literally means "All people within the world are brothers, however the wind and waves don't stop.“ It could be also understood as "We love peace, but now there are so many threats that we have to fight." And the poem was written by his grandfather Mutsuhito, for the Japan-Russia war in which Japan won a great victory.

[@Edmonton-of2ec]

Apparently Hirohito wasn’t just pressured to abdicate by foriegn demands, but also members of the Imperial Family such as Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu (his eldest younger brother), Nobuhito, Prince Takamstsu, (his 2nd younger brother), and Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni (the Emperor’s “uncle”, although that is not actually how he is related to Hirohito) to allow another Imperial Prince, not necessarily Akihito to become Emperor.

[@tetsuyahayami7519]

I learn so much from History Matters than all my years in school learning history from Kindergarten through University! No joke!

[@DACalvinify]

Awesome vid! Why is Jeju island coloured tho? Ideas for next vid: 1. Why was Sakhalin divided into two for the treaty of Portsmouth? 2. What was life like in the Japanese part of Sakhalin island? 3. What was life like in the Republic of China pre WW2?

[@xaviersaavedra7442]

0:53 oh really, I thought he was just standing in front of a map. still, hilarious joke.

[@hiimryan2388]

Xavier Saavedra oh he isn't a gigantic alien... :(

[@haris000000]

Hahahahahahaha I missed it on the first watch. Thanks !!!

[@gospelfilms7942]

Xavier! Nice profile picture. Mine is based on the original.

[@Snubrevolver]

It definitely would have made winning the war a little easier

[@auritro3903]

Imagine if it was to scale... *DUN DUN DUNNN*

[@spencergarner4213]

@2:38 Emperor Hirohito: "Awkward."

[@bone7055]

Please make your videos longer but I love your vids keep going

[@greenbutter3190]

Stable video 👍

[@Matthew-rs4hb]

1:47 NEW ROYAL EDICT: We are now a democracy. Signed, The Emperor. This part had me laughing so hard. What an oxymoron!

[@vitfleischmann13]

*Truman not to scale. Thank you, for I thought Truman was a godly being and dropped the nukes himself

[@winchesterchua3390]

Timestamp?

[@edixonvc5101]

@@winchesterchua3390 0:54

[@PlacidSine]

I like how this channel answers the questions school doesn’t

[@yaniv010]

0:53 thanks for the clarification

[@johnclifford1537]

I remember early 1989 when he died. Our ( Australian) government ordered flags at half mast but received a massive backlash ( Australia had many troops suffer in Japanese POW camps) and within a few hours had to rescind the order. There was even 44 years later incredulous disbelief that he wasn't executed as a war criminal.

[@kingt0295]

@Niek Vels we didnt at the time.

[@user-pn3im5sm7k]

Strange. If you look at Pew research polls about opinions on Japan by country, generally the whole world has an overwhelmingly positive view of Japan but Australia is one of the highest cherishers of Japan. 81% favorable.

[@user-mw3ps4qv1v]

The Emperor does not abuse prisoners of war. It is wrong for him to be executed.

[@highadmiraljt5853]

@@user-pn3im5sm7k I’m guessing the poll would be about modern day Japan, not WW2 imperial japab

[@user-pn3im5sm7k]

@@highadmiraljt5853 Considering the Pew Research center was founded in 2004, yes... Also I don't think anyone needs to do a survey during a world war, everyone is going to hate each other lol

[@clintstewart5545]

can you imagine if Songoku was made to be super comrade instead of a super saiyan ...

[@victoraustria5763]

I really love this ch.!!!

[@RoverCaptain]

Gotta watch out for those mild cases of mortality... they creep up on you.

[@sergeantscumbag2116]

stalin was so savage "more death please"

[@jeremykline6687]

What an incredibly nuanced peace of history I never knew about. If we invade the soviets invade? That is just incredible and I can’t wait to look this up more

[@pinknoize3047]

0:55 this is why I love this channel

[@starliaghtsz8400]

0:53 thanks for pointing out that truman was not to scale, thats very important information there