The film revolves around defining Hirohito's role in the war, exploring the survival and abolition of the imperial system, and how Japan should rebuild its political system after the war. This is a good subject and a key point in history. The background is grand enough, the details are very rich, and it has a secret inside story. It should be an eye-catching film. It's a pity that the movie was lazily shot and looked weak. The whole story is unattractive, and the addition of a love line in the movie is superfluous.
Although the movie was not good, it gave me a vicious thought: what would have happened if the U.S. military had sent Emperor Hirohito to the gallows? Will the postwar history of Japan or even the history of the world be rewritten? Almost all historians have this judgment, General MacArthur did not hold Hirohito accountable for the war crimes and continued to retain the emperor system, this decision is quite wise, it confirmed Japan's smooth post-war transition and made Japan a democracy nation. The film even exaggerated this, and elevated Hirohito's image, believing that he ultimately prevented the army from fighting to the death and avoided greater casualties.
Undoubtedly, the reservation of the emperor system should be the best choice for Japan. Japan's subsequent development results also fully proved this point. After the war, Japan underwent a well-balanced transition without major political turmoil, allowing Japan to recover quickly from its defeat. This is one of them. The most important thing is that the exemption for Hirohito is actually a legal exemption for the entire Japanese country. As the head of state, Hirohito was not designated as a war criminal, but blamed the so-called militarists for his arrogance. Japan's responsibility as a defeated country has disappeared, and only a few military politicians have assumed full responsibility. Although they were hanged, they were regarded as heroes of self-sacrifice by the whole nation. Therefore, the Yasukuni Shrine remained a thorny issue for all parties until the decades after the war.
After the war, Japan was not occupied by many countries like Germany, but was occupied exclusively by the United States. Through MacArthur's numerous efforts, Japan quickly transformed into a democratic country. Of course, democracy has become the cornerstone of Japanese politics, and it is indeed a good choice for the world, especially neighboring countries, at least in a short period of time to eliminate the threat. However, after the war, Japan did not reflect deeply, nor did it experience the same hardships as Germany after the defeat. Politically, Japan immediately went back to normal, and its economy took off rapidly. It also made its citizens fail to realize what the country and its people should bear in the war. Responsibility, on the contrary, thinks that starting a wrong war will not cause much loss to the country and the people.
Why did the United States not kill Hirohito after the war? The movie "The Emperor" also made a lot of descriptions. Originally, from the perspective of politicians and diplomats in the United States, it was natural for Hirohito to become a war criminal, just like the trial of Nazi war criminals in Germany after the war. This can also quickly establish the status of the United States in Japan, allowing Japan to embark on the road of democracy as soon as possible. However, General MacArthur accepted the views of the surrounding advisors and believed that Japan was a unique country with its own long-standing culture and tradition, and the emperor system was the core of this culture and tradition. If the emperor is removed, Japan will be turbulent, causing the Japanese to hate the West and the United States, and lead to the failure of the US occupation. The protagonist of the film, General Phileas, thinks so, and the story of the whole film is that he confirms this through his investigations of Japanese politicians and soldiers in Japan. In fact, judging from the narrative of the film, this kind of investigation process is unnecessary, because the conclusion has long been made before the investigation.
General Phyllis is a Japanese expert, and of course an admirer of Japanese culture. He has lived in Japan for many years and has a Japanese girlfriend. For this separated girlfriend, he even used the power in his hand to let the US bomber bypass the city where his girlfriend is. He has always believed that Japan is a unique country. The United States, a country with a history of more than 200 years, must have a basic attitude of respect for Japan, a country with a history of 2,000 years. You cannot view an ancient civilization like Japan from the viewpoint of a country with no history and no culture like the United States. Judging from the movie, his investigation is also emotionally engaged. The purpose of his coming to Japan seems to be just to find out the whereabouts of his girlfriend. After he was bullied by demobilized Japanese soldiers in a tavern, he wrote his own report that the emperor was a war sinner. However, when the emperor's cronies told him the story of the Arabian Nights about the assassination of the emperor, he immediately decided that the emperor was a great man who ended the war and would contribute to the stability of post-war Japan.
When General MacArthur was about to meet Hirohito, Phyllis actually obeyed the conditions put forward by the Japanese side, and expressed to MacArthur all kinds of taboos about the meeting between the two sides, such as not being able to look directly into the eyes of the emperor, not to shake hands with the emperor, and so on, because Japan is a foreign country. Unique culture, that's their rule, and America has to abide by that too. In the eyes of Phileas, Japan is not a defeated country, and the emperor is not a war criminal. He is a high god and must be given the necessary respect. Fortunately, General MacArthur was an old man with a sophisticated approach, and he was noncommittal about these conditions, but when they met in person, he didn't care to break down all kinds of taboos, making these unreasonable demands just empty talk. But Mai finally agreed with Phileas, did not designate Hirohito as a war criminal, and retained the emperor system. From his point of view, it was the best way to keep Japan steady, and his best bet as commander of the American occupation forces in Japan. The subsequent development of Japan also proved that MacArthur was an experienced politician.
But can Hirohito really be killed? Can the imperial system really be abolished? Japanese culture is really so unique, is there really only one way of writing Japanese history? Of course, history cannot be assumed, but the trend of history exists. The real history is not the most reasonable history. We can't think that the other choice at that time was a bad choice just because there is a more reasonable result now. If MacArthur really regards Hirohito as a war criminal, the history of the whole world will not change greatly, and Japan will also not fall into turmoil, and it will definitely embark on the road of democracy. This is a historical trend and a historical necessity. Perhaps Japan's transformation has not been so smooth, and perhaps Japan's rise will not be so fast. Predicting that Hirohito will go to the gallows will arouse the resistance of the Japanese, and the idea that the situation will become uncontrollable is just taken for granted. Germany is an example. After clearing up the crimes and letting the people clarify their responsibilities, they can put down the burden of history and move forward with ease. Sending Hirohito to the gallows, history still runs on its existing track. Japan may have some waves, but it will not change the current state.
In Japan, on the contrary, the crimes have not been settled, and the responsibilities of the people have not been clarified. Therefore, the Japanese people have not deeply reflected on the history of the war. Instead, they feel aggrieved and think that they are the victims of the war. For the criminals of war, not with contempt, but with gratitude. Recently, a video circulated on the Internet of a German tourist who saw what the Japanese did at the Yasukuni Shrine and asked angrily, saying that it would be a crime to do so in Germany. As a result, it was besieged by the Japanese present. The different ways of dealing with war criminals at that time led to two different views on history and also determined the different mentalities of the people of the two countries. It has to be said that MacArthur's decision at the time made the complicated situation simpler at the time, but it also left a big historical tail, which has even involved the surrounding countries in this kind of debate.
Japanese culture is neither unique nor special. It is only a part of human culture in the world. It is its responsibility to follow the common principles of human society, and it is also the common responsibility of different cultures and nations in the world. The investigation of war criminals can be implemented in Germany, and it can also be implemented in Japan. Just because it is a so-called country with a history of two thousand years, it cannot resist ordinary rules with its uniqueness. It is even less important to treat people who were originally criminals as gods because of the so-called stability, and still enjoy the glory of the head of state. Hirohito's failure to go to the gallows is actually a strong signal to the Japanese people. Japan itself has no responsibility for war, nor does the Japanese leader or government. Only a few soldiers are guilty, and Japan is also a victim. Therefore, the few hanged war criminals could live in the shrine's shrine and enjoy the incense of the Japanese people.
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