ABSTRACT
There are few historical figures who have been so controversial as the Showa Emperor, Hirohito, who reigned for sixty-four years, through the tumultuous war period and into the era of peace afterwards. Even Hirohito's most trusted official, the former Prime Minister Tojo Hideki, in a momentary lapse during the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, revealed the truth when he said, "none of Japanese would dare act against the emperor's will". Evidence indicates that Emperor Hirohito's wartime responsibility is irrefutable. Some have even claimed Hirohito to be Japan's compassionate emperor, a bodhisattva, who lived a quiet and austere life, and had shown great compassion for the suffering of his people. The case of Hirohito is complicated by several factors: his physical appearance and personal temperament, and the system of "irresponsibility" within the hierarchical structure in Japanese society and the emperor system. The task of "molding the emperor" was the most important influence on Hirohito during his youth and early-manhood.
