Japan’s Emperor Hirohito - A Life in Photos

Emperor Showa (Emperor Hirohito) was the 124th Emperor of Japan.
During his childhood, he was educated by eminent scholars and Meiji era generals such as Nogi Maresuke and Togo Heihachiro. He was particularly interested in biology and published various papers throughout his life.
In 1921, he spent half a year in Europe. At that time, he was greatly influenced by King George V and he regarded the British way of "Sovereign reigns, but does not rule" as an ideal. After returning to Japan, he ascended to the throne in 1926.
In the 1930s, he struggled with the military runaway and his own ideal of a constitutional monarchy and failed to stop the momentum of them.
After World War II, he was exempted from prosecution because of the US political intention in the Cold War structure, the efforts of Japanese politicians, and the fact that he was passive in the war.
Since then, he had been active in aiming for an open royal family like Britain, and laid the foundation for a symbolic Emperor system in Japan. He frequently visited various parts of Japan and issued statements, which supported the Japanese people emotionally during the post-war reconstruction period.
He also often advised successive prime ministers and exerted a behind-the-scenes influence on post-war Japanese politics.
Emperor Hirohito's turbulent life came to an end in 1989, when the Japanese economy was in an unprecedented boom.