Overview

Pulitzer Prize-winning biography by Herbert P. Bix that reconstructs Emperor Hirohito’s life and political role across six decades. Drawing on newly available primary documents, the book traces how imperial training, scientific interests, and political alliances shaped Hirohito’s choices from the 1930s through Japan’s 1945 surrender.

Carefully documented, the narrative reassesses responsibility for actions in Manchuria, the China campaign, and the Asia–Pacific war, and explains how postwar arrangements reshaped the emperor’s public image while preserving the institution.

Essential for readers interested in modern Japanese history, wartime decision-making, and the political legacies that still influence Japan’s national memory.

• Focus: biography, political and military history
• Highlights: archival research, wartime policy, postwar transformation

We ship at a flat rate of $9.99 per order. Orders $45 and up ship free of charge.