Crown Prince Hirohito, 1919
Hirohito/Emperor Showa (April 29, 1901 - January 7, 1989), was the 124th Emperor of Japan reigning from 1926-89. At the start of his reign, Japan was already one of the great powers, and one of the four permanent members of the council of the League of Nations. He was the head of state under the limitation of the Constitution of the Empire of Japan during Japan's imperial expansion and militarization. His army invaded Manchuria in 1931 and parts of China in 1937. He personally ratified the Japanese Army's proposal to remove the constraints of international law on the treatment of Chinese prisoners. Thus he was entirely responsible for the Nanking Massacre, an episode of mass murder and mass rape committed by Imperial Japanese Army against Nanking. In 1940, under Hirohito's leadership, Japan formed Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, forming the Axis Powers. After the war, he was not prosecuted for war crimes, despite his involvement. During the postwar period, he became the symbol of the new state and Japan's recovery, and by the end of his reign, Japan had emerged as the world's second largest economy. He died in 1989 of cancer at the age of 87.
Size: 3000px × 4232px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, 1919, 20th, apparent, asian, bw, century, crown, emperor, family, famous, figure, heir, hirohito, historic, historical, history, imperial, important, infamous, japan, japanese, leader, male, man, men, notable, people, person, personalities, personality, photo, photograph, prince, ruler, showa
