On Jan. 7, 1989, Hirohito, emperor of Japan, died after 62 years of reigning over the archipelago through radically different phases of its history, from military expansionism to peaceful economic growth near the end of his life.
He was the first crown prince to travel to Western Europe from Japan, riding aboard a battleship for two months until he reached the United Kingdom. He visited several other Western nations on his journey.
After serving as regent for five years in substitute of his unwell father, Hirohito officially became emperor in 1926. He came to power in a time of economic turbulence and growing military influence. Then Japan started to expand through use of military force, taking over much of China.
World War II kicked off shortly after, though only in the Western theater. Japan only joined up with Germany and Italy to form the Axis once they saw those Europeans' success invading other countries. Hirohito was the one who declared Japan's surrender at the war's end.
Following the war, he resisted pressure to resign and instead became a collaborator of the U.S. contingent now occupying Japan. He continued to play the role of a monarch in the reconstructed government, albeit with more limited powers. By the 1970s, Japan's economy had gone from devastated to explosively productive. After his death, he was succeeded by his son, Akihito.
You can learn more about Hirohito at the Atomic Heritage Foundation.
