"In this biography of the Japanese emperor Hirohito, Herbert P. Bix offers the first complete look at the enigmatic leader whose sixty-three-year reign ushered Japan into the modern world. Bix shows what is was like to be trained from birth for a lone position at the apex of the nation's political hierarchy and as a revered symbol of divine status. Influenced by an unusual combination of the Japanese imperial tradition and a modern scientific worldview, the young emperor gradually evolves into his preeminent role, aligning himself with the growing ultra-nationalist movement, perpetuating a cult of religious emperor worship, resisting attempts to curb his power, and all the while burnishing his image as a reluctant, passive monarch. Here we see Hirohito as he truly was: a man of strong will and real authority." "Supported by previously untapped primary documents, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan is perhaps most illuminating in lifting the veil on the mythology surrounding the emperor's impact on the world stage. Focusing closely on Hirohito's interactions with his advisers and successive Japanese governments, Bix sheds new light on the causes of the China War in 1937 and the start of the Asia-Pacific War in 1941. Bix documents in detail the strong, decisive role Hirohito played in wartime operations, from the takeover of Manchuria in 1931 through the attack on Pearl Harbor and ultimately the fateful decision in 1945 to accede to an unconditional surrender."--BOOK JACKET.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 689-770) and index.

1. The Boy, the Family, and the Meiji Legacies 2. Cultivating an Emperor 3. Confronting the Real World 4. The Regency and the Crisis of Taisho Democracy 5. The New Monarchy and the New Nationalism 6. A Political Monarch Emerges 7. The Manchurian Transformation 8. Restoration and Repression 9. Holy War

10. Stalemate and Escalation 11. Prologue to Pearl Harbor 12. The Ordeal of Supreme Command 13. Delayed Surrender 14. A Monarchy Reinvented 15. The Tokyo Trial 16. Salvaging the Imperial Mystique 17. The Quiet Years and the Legacies of Showa.