The Rhetoric of Emperor Hirohito

This book investigates the wartime role of Emperor Hirohito and the transition of the Emperor System, a structure which had been in place for a large period of Japanese history, and one undergoing significant change due to a series of intense encounters with Western-style modernity since the Meiji period of the late nineteenth century. Specifically, it explores moments in three episodes of social reality that were part of the wartime experience of the Japanese people: namely, the initiation of the conflict, accomplishing an end to the war, and the transition to post-war society.