A review by shevek
Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P. Bix

4.0

A real eye-opener. For the first third of the book it seems as though Bix might be reaching in his interpretation of sources, but once the book describes Hirohito's conduct regarding the war, it's clear that the body of evidence strongly supports Bix's case. It's fairly incredible that the emperor cult devised by the genro in the Meiji era and intensified by the ruling elites early in the Showa era was strong enough that it still constitutes the predominant influence on peoples' view of the emperor's role, even outside of Japan.