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

3.0

I read most of this on a recent trip to Japan and it helped me understand a little bit about how Japanese culture became the way it did. The main premise of the book is that Hirohito knew a lot more than he ever let on and he was responsible for many of the things that caused Japan to join in WWII. But his ability to remain emperor after WWII created this interesting situation where there was an emperor but the governmental power did not reside in him. It is a well-written book with a large focus on the WWII era and less about the 40+ years he lived after the war.