Emperor Hirohito of Japan

Emperor Shōwa, personal name Hirohito, was Emperor of Japan from 25 December 1926 until his death on 7 January 1989. He reigned during a period of increasing Japanese nationalism and militarism, culminating in the entry of the Empire of Japan into World War II as an Axis power. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led Hirohito to announce the surrender of Japan to the Allies in August 1945. Under pressure from the Allies, he issued the Humanity Declaration in January 1946, rejecting the divinity of the emperor as a descendant of Amaterasu. After the war, he presided over a period of…