From these sources, the author, a veteran scholar on modern Japanese history, draws a nuanced and balanced portrayal of an emperor who did not seek out war, but who demanded victories once war began and never took action to stop Japan's reckless descent into defeat. Bix's command of primary sources is apparent throughout the book, especially in the voluminous endnotes.
Bix closely examines his long, eventful reign, concentrating on the extent of the emperor's influence-which was greater than he admitted-over the political and military life of Japan during WWII.
Bix penetrates decades of ""public opacity"" to offer a stunning portrait of the controversial Japanese emperor, ""one of the most disingenuous persons ever to occupy the modern throne."" Hirohito ascended to the Japanese throne in 1926 (at the age of 25) and ruled until his death in 1989.
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