What if Emperor Hirohito was assasinated by Korean Indépendance fighter Lee Bong-Chang in 1932?

In 1932, Lee Bong-Chang, disguised as a Kempeitai policeman, attempted to assassinate Emperor Hirohito in protest against the Japanese annexation and occupation of Korea. He threw a grenade under his carriage near the Imperial palace and missed, killing two horses. It’s known as the Sakuradamon Incident.

If he succeeded, Hirohito’s brother Prince Yasuhito is supposed to inherit the throne, as Hirohito had fathered no sons yet and because the Japanese throne did not allow women to rule. In our timeline, the incident was quickly dismissed as an isolated terrorist incident and no policy changes were made toward the Korean Peninsula.

Lee Bong-Chang could have used two grenades and have been lucky. One of the grenades kills or critically wounds Hirohito. The second one is used by Lee Bong-Chang to kill himself during his capture.

- How would Yasuhito act as Emperor?
- How much do the Japanese internal politics change?
- Would reprisals take place against Koreans in Japan and Korea?
- What are the effects on Japanese expansionism and the war in the region?
- Would the Kempetai be suspected of complicity, if Lee Bong-Chang couldn’t be interrogated?
- What to think knowing that Yasuhito did speak English and enjoyed a good rapport with the British Royality?
 
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