So we execute Saddam for mass murder... but not Hirohito?

Question

Emperor Hirohito was responsible for planning and the execution of global conquest that resulted in mass murder of millions of Asians, Russians, Americans, etc.... yet he was not tried for war crimes after WW2 and even allowed to keep his post as Emperor.....

So does America pick and choose which crimes are worthy of punishment and which are not?

Btw, if Saddam's crimes were so horrific, why did Bush Sr & Jr both offer him amnesty to live in exile in luxury? Jr extended the offer days before the invasion in March 2003.

Hirohito was not "just a figurehead"....

many historians such as Akira Fujiwara (Shōwa Tennō no Jū-go Nen Sensō, 1991) and Peter Wetzler (Hirohito and War, 1998), based on the primary sources and the monumental work of Shirō Hara,[2] have produced evidence suggesting that the Emperor worked through intermediaries to exercise a great deal of control over the military and was neither bellicose nor a pacifist, but an opportunist who governed in a pluralistic decision-making process.

For example, during the invasion of Wuhan, from August to October 1938, the Emperor authorized the use of toxic gas on 375 separate occasions,[5] despite the resolution adopted by the League of Nations on May 14 condemning the use of toxic gas by the Japanese Army.

Hmmm.... toxic gas.... sound familiar?

Btw, the US did execute Saddam.... the judges were picked by the US elected puppet government. The people of Iraq did not want Saddam executed. He was more popular there than Bush or the new president!

Answer 1

Prime Minister Tojo of Japan got in deep trouble for War Crimes commited by Japan during World War II

Did ya never hear of him? Although Hirohithro was Emperor, Prime Minister Tojo was considered Japan's leader.

Much like in Britain Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen but Tony Blair the Prime Minister is considered the Leader.

To put it this way in a Monarchy the Monarch is head of State and the Prime Minister is head of Government.

Whereas in the U.S. the President is both head of State and head of Government.

There are some Countries that have a President as head of State that also have a Prime Minister as head of Government.

Controversy did get raised over Hirohitrho being allowed to remain Emperor of Japan I do realize that.

Answer 2

So, a portion of Iraqis are angered by the hanging of Saddam, but if a similar punishment had been meted out to Hirohito, the entire nation of Japan would have been offended and would have fought to the last man, united against the US for all time. It was necessary to retain the Emperor in order to stand a chance of ending the war against Japan without the utter destruction of Japan. I would be interested in the revisionist historical works that cite the Emperor as having used direct power of authorization re: the use of toxic gas in China; I had never heard that before. The typical Japanese governmental method was consensus, but usually that consensus was arrived at independent of the Emperor's influence.

I suppose it was sufficient to tumble the Emperor from his seat in heaven; I have often heard MacArthur referred to as the "new Shogun" after WWII--he certainly stepped into a very similar role to the military governors of Japan's Tokugawa period. And from this tradition, the militaristic leaders had always exerted a greater influence in Japanese government than they would in the US system--all of them believing they knew best how to protect the country and the Emperor. I don't think that the system of Japanese government was organized in a way that allowed culpability of the Emperor in the same manner as that of a political leader. It would have been more like executing a god than deposing a leader.

Answer 3

Hirohito's amnesty was MacArthur's idea as far as anyone knows. We did execute General Tito and a few other lesser knowns, but Hirohito was special to the Japanese people. By then, MacArthur thought himself a god and could do no wrong.

After the war, he stayed in the far east where he had total control and very little interference from his nemeses, Harry Truman. MacArthur had won the respect of the Japanese people for sparing their Emperor, this made his job easier in getting cooperation from Japan in re-building the country and developing a working relationship between the US and Japan.

Answer 4

Saddam was not executed by us.


So, you have held some sort of poll and know how many citizens of Iraq supported Saddam? You should be president!

Answer 5

Perhaps you are confused, or you just didn't notice that Iraq had national elections which chose their govt. This government tried Saddam, the US did not.

Answer 6

Oh arent you cute???We love little panty waisted cowards that like to hide behind monsters like Sadam.You libs continue to show your support for terrorists..,you are revealing your true colors,watch it.

Answer 7

He was kept alive because he was a figurehead.