How powerful was Japanese Emperor Hirohito? #ww2

The Meiji restoration of the 19th century had established the Emperor as the divine ruler of Japan. In theory, the Emperor now appointed all senior members of the military and government, was responsible for the creation of new laws, and led the Japanese armed forces during times of war.

In reality, however, the Emperor was a figurehead, who wielded little political power and instead simply rubber stamping the decisions of military and government officials, who had formulated the policies without his input.

By the time Emperor Hirohito came to the throne in 1926, Japanese politics was spiralling into chaos. Just four years into his reign and with State Shinto having spread throughout military academies, the military had an almost complete monopoly over culture and government policy with those who spoke out against their influence often finding themselves assassinated.

As the decades passed and the Second World War began, this culture of fear had become the norm, with the military's policy of “no surrender under any circumstances” going complety unchallanged, with those favouring peace having either been killed or too fearful to openly voice their opinions. Peace for the Military was simply not an option they would even consider.
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