ABSTRACT
The saga of Japanese surrender both begins and ends with the attitude and influence of the emperor, which must be explored in order to comprehend the surrender decision. Since the time of Meiji, the first constitutional monarch, the emperor of Japan has technically been only a ceremonial figure, who reigned but did not rule. The emperor commanded total respect. Children were taught that he was half-human, half-descended from the sun goddess. Prior to 1945 teachers taught their students that they would be struck blind if they looked him in the face. The emperor observed the New Year’s Day festivities of January 1944 with greater than usual solemnity. The Imperial Army in general and Premier Tojo in particular had now become the power in the land. The ensuing cabinet crisis was the last occasion on which the emperor expressed hope that the war might still be won.
