Hirohito was born on April 29, 1901.

He was the
first son of Crown Prince Yoshihito, who later
became the Taisho emperor, and the grandson
of Mutsuhito, the Meiji emperor.
• From early on, Hirohito was trained to act with the dignity,
reserve, and sense of responsibility his future role would
require and he grew into a shy and serious young boy.
• In April 1908 he was enrolled at the Gakushuin (Peers
School) in a special class of twelve boys.
• In 1912 Mutsishito died and paved the way for Hirohito's
father Yoshihito to take the throne. Hirohito then began an
intense study of natural history.
• On February 4, 1918, Hirohito became engaged to Princess
Nagako, daughter of Prince Kuniyoshi Kuninomiya. The imperial
wedding finally took place on January 26, 1924. The imperial
couple later had five daughters, the first born in December
1926, and two sons, the first born in December 1933
• On November 25, 1921, shortly after his return to Japan,
Hirohito was appointed to serve as regent (acting ruler) for his
father, who had begun to show increasing signs of mental
instability.
• In December 1923 Hirohito escaped an attempt on his life by a
young radical.
• Hirohito took the throne on December 25, 1926. He took
as his reign name Showa ("Enlightened Peace"), and he
was formally known as Showa Tenno. Shortly after Hirohito
became emperor, Japan's relations with the outside world
began to fall apart.
• In 1927 Japanese army officers, without the agreement of
Emperor Hirohito, sparked conflict with Manchuria and
later occupied parts of that country. Hirohito soon found his
military deeply involved on the Asian mainland.
• Nevertheless the country continued to drift toward war. In July
1937 hostilities with China broke out. During the late 1930s
Hirohito's advisers in the palace urged him to stay away from
direct involvement in politics or be forced to compromise the
position of the imperial family. The emperor followed this advice,
and agreed to whatever policies the governments decided upon.
• By the summer of 1945 it was clear that
defeat was at hand. But the decision to
surrender did not come until after atomics
bomb were dropped on the Japanese towns
of hiroshima and Nagasaki. At a historic
imperial conference on August 9, 1945, the
emperor made clear his opinion in favor of
surrendering to the allied powers led by the
United States.
• Following Japan's formal surrender in
September 1945, there was much discussion
about whether Emperor Hirohito should be
punished as a war criminal.
• After the war, many Japanese leaders
were tried for war crimes. Some were
executed for their treatment and torture
of prisoners and civilians. Although many
leaders of the Allied nations wanted
Hirohito punished, U.S. General Dauglas
MacArtur decided to let Hirohito remain
as a figurehead. He would have no
power, but his presence would help keep
peace and allow Japan to recover as a
nation.
• Over the next several years, Hirohito
remained Emperor of Japan. He became
the longest reigning emperor in the history
of Japan. He saw Japan recover from the
war and become one of the richest
countries in the world.