Emperor Hirohito and War Crimes (Essay Sample)

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Running head: IS EMPEROR HIROHITO GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY?
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View point: yes, his deeds were not those of a valiant leader with the interest of his people at heart.
War is the worst tragedy that can ever face any nation. Japan was a victim of a great war that led to massive killings and destructions. From the historical records, Hirohito was the emperor of that great nation. Cowardice is not an attribute of Japan as a nation even to the present but it is a shame that Emperor Hirohito goes down the books of records as a leader who did not protect Japan the right way. The many months of great disasters and sufferings Japan underwent left scars that the Japanese people will live to see for the rest of their lives.
Emperor Hirohito must have served a neutral role as a leader if anyone was to be very fair with him. His deeds were not those of patriotism and for the people living at that time and moment he was seen as conniving with the English speaking nations to frustrate the Japanese populace. It does not require rocket science for any person to learn that there is no fighting fair in a war. When an enemy is at the gates, it then means that the time for diplomacy is long gone. Had Hirohito trained himself on this simple art, then Japan would not have gone through the great suffering and tribulation.
The fact that Hirohito considered cooperation with the English powers as the top solution for Japan’s problems at a very late stage is enough to condemn this leader on whose hands many Japanese souls were lost. At that late stage, the only way out to save Japan would be by staging brave confrontations which Hirohito failed at. The worst thing about it is that this leader did not express any regrets even after the loss of many innocent Japanese lives. It was so insensitive of him.
Hirohito happened to be present in most of the cabinet meetings and war councils. The worst bit is that this leader barely participated yet his nation’s security was at stake. What kind of leader does this? It came a time when the military leaders were up in an effort to wedge war on the United States. Instead of stepping out to unite with the leaders in a common effort to protect the citizens, he remained the most skeptical of them all. All that mattered to him was maintaining the authority of the throne even with so many lives at stake.
It was very bad of him figuring out of how the militarists would have staged a coupd’e’tat in an effort to reduce his powers when at that point in time what really mattered was to safeguard the lives of his people. It was a sho...