Hirohito goes on trial and is executed in 1946.

What do you think would happen if the US suddenly decided that the Showa emperor actually had a role in the war, put him on trial and executed him? Would that lead toan abolition of the monarchy? Or a communist revolution in the 1950s?

I read a while ago that the only thing that prevented this from happening was the firm stance of Macarthur, who wanted to preserve the Emperor's symbolic status and thus maintain Japan as a post-war ally for the United States.
The way I see it, without a symbolic leader(maybe Japan then becomes a presidential democracy?), communism would have a much greater appeal. This would be especially true if Hirohito had supported the "fight till we/they are all dead", which was the military's plan before and even after the atomic bombs were dropped. With a Ja´Japan wrecked from the invasion, suffering from famine and without a leader, i would expect a communist revolution between 1949 and 1960 at the latest.
 
Congratulation, you guys killed someone who was once held as a 'Living Godling'. About the only unfazed in the public eye figure. Japaneses will be hostile, let's say.

It's an understandable wish for Americans and others after this nasty war... But realpolitiks say it is a BAD idea...
 
The Soviets might do the execution work since they suggested a firing squad for not only Hirohito, but the entire Imperial family. I'e read it in a book once.
 
Staline and the Soviets have also the stomach and will to smash ANY opposition.
Though this creates a pretty awkward situation. If Hirohito and the royal family are killed by the Soviets, but the country is controlled by the Americans, then who will the enraged japanese populace protest against?:mad:
Ok, maybe that's a smart tactic.
 
Depends. The Japanese weren't robots mindlessly obedient to the Emperor, you know.

If its done in an open trial and the right of Akihito to take the throne isn't hindered (presumably with Prince Mikasa as regent) it could be doable.
 
Staline and the Soviets have also the stomach and will to smash ANY opposition.

Also the Soviets had killed their immediate Royal Family just 'for being royal' (the tsar did deserve to be punished in some way, as did possibly the tsarina* but not any of their children). I could see them doing this. I wouldn't rule the Americans doing it either actually, what with all the Yellow Peril nonsense and stuff like that...

If either of them do it... bad things happen. It is easy to see that Japan could re-militarize very quickly in such a scenario (think as early as the late 50s) and the USA would be forced to fight the Vietnam and Korean wars with a hostile Russia, China and Japan in the way. The implications are not pleasant (although the USA might not even try to stop Vietnam in such a scenario)...

*For corruption would be the most reasonable thing to charge her with.
 
The Soviets is an interesting idea but really I think abdication and a cushy prison is much more likely for the godhead. Also if they're willing to put him on trial then you better believe the Japanese establishment is going to suffer a serious purge - much more so than the slap on the wrist they got OTL.

Knock on effect would probably be a stronger (though probably still small) ultranationalist strand in society, deeply offended by the treatment of their God-Emperor. Across the board however, the Imperial Family's place in Japanese society could be greatly reduced and humanised.
 
Outright execution is downright insane for the Americans to attempt, unless they want a lot of Japanese pissed at them. The Emperor was still beloved as hell after all, and his sparing in OTL helped ease a lot of tensions that occurred from the deaths of the militarists.

Maybe have Hirohito commit seppuku? Could that be possible? That seems far more likely than outright execution, as it could 'cleanse' his record while still leaving the Americans free of blame.
 
Outright execution is downright insane for the Americans to attempt, unless they want a lot of Japanese pissed at them. The Emperor was still beloved as hell after all, and his sparing in OTL helped ease a lot of tensions that occurred from the deaths of the militarists.

The Americans handled a lot of aspects of the occupation in a rather poor manner and didnt really understand Japanese culture very well, this is actually a mistake that could well of happened if they where just slightly less knowledgable and believed that the Japanese thought of the emperor as just a monarch.
 
Another scary thing would be to witness a communist revolution in Japan, which could have happened if the occupation had gone in a similar manner to Germany. Having the Americans control all of Japan had a bad effect on the Japanese people as a whole since they were never able to face up to their past, unlike the Germans with their Mea Culpa thing, including explaining about what they did in the Holocaust. There were some Japanese who actually wanted their country to 'fess up to the crimes of the wartime regime, but they'd actually be labelled as unpatriotic people.
 
You would see quite a bit of rebellion. Hirohito was the one who ended the war, remember, as many generals higher up just wanted to keep going. As a whole, the Emperor probably didn't have as much power as we believe, and his death might not spur on the populace as much as we think, but it would certainly remove any notions of betraying Japan from those who wanted total war.
 
The Showa Emperor can't be executed. If he dies at the hands of foreigners, it will be a lot harder to administer Japan. But many people--some even within the Imperial Family--wanted him to abdicate. Even if it is known that he stepped down due to US pressure, if he steps down to take responsibility for the war, I think it would only increase the popularity of the institution. The Japanese people, by and large, were one short step away from starvation. It was galling to see the Imperial Family living so well, especially when at least some people thought they were partially responsible for the war.
In the long run, MacArthur would've been smart to let Emperor Showa step down. Of course, he would have also been smart to let Emperor Showa apologize for the war (and specifically for Pearl Harbor), like he actually offered to do.
 
In OTL, Japanese society developed strong pacifict sentiments after the horrors of the war. In a twist, it was the Japanese, not the Allies, who insisted on a constitution banning a military. The United States actually wanted Japan to rearm and commit to worldwide American military adventures as the occupation ended, but it was only after US occupation forces left for Korea in the 1950s, leaving Japan almost totally defenseless, that Japan began taking its own security seriously. It began building a military, but placed civilian control on it and imposed strict limits on its capabilities and how it could be used.

If Hirohito had been tried and hanged as a criminal, Japanese society might take a different view. Rather than developing an aversion towards warfare, there would be mass public outrage. The general perception, as marketed by the right-wing militarists who everyone suddenly takes heed of, would be; look at everything they did! They carpet-bombed and firebombed our cities, starved us with the blockade, used the most horrific weapon in history on us, and now they arrogantly try and hang not just our generals, but our leader and our nationalistic and religious symbol! And for war crimes of all things! There would be a wave violent right-wing militarism and an insurgency. Allied occupation soldiers would be getting killed left and right, and there would probably be attempts on the life of General MacArthur.

Overall, Japan would be far less pacifist in foreign policy today. Right-wing governments would dominate the country for decades, and children would be riled up and taught of the horrible shame inflicted on Japan. It would have a military with increased capabilities. Rather than expressing an aversion for all things nuclear, the rightist nationalists who would dominate Japan would build a nuke to possibly use on national enemies. There would be no US bases, and there may not even be a US embassy for decades. All because the rightist government would keep the population in a perpetual rage, which in turn will breed a new generation of right-wing anti-American militarists who will vote for another rightist government.
 
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