WI: Emperor Hirohito was killed by a bomb in March 1945?

Result of Hirohito dying in March 1945?

  • Japan surrenders like IOTL

    Votes: 10 20.8%

  • Japan fights on and Operation Downfall happens

    Votes: 38 79.2%
  • Total voters
    48

John Dusk

Shortly after the firebombing of Tokyo in March 1945, Emperor Hirohito toured the ruins of the capital and spoke to Japanese citizens personally.

What if an unexploded American bomb detonated and killed Hirohito?

How would the Japanese government and military respond?

Would an invasion of the Home Islands become necessary?
 

Lalli

Would they let emperor going to city? Perhaps if bomb hits to imperial palace and kills emperor?

Then Akihito, if survives become emperor, but someone of his uncle acts as regent. But I don't see why Japan wouldn't surrend after two nukes like in OTL. But hardly Japan would surrend earlier.
 

Apollo 20

I'm not sure it would matter in the end scheme of things, but a martyred Emperor could inspire the Japanese to fight even more fanatically than they did. There were some bloody battles between March and August 1945 that could be even more savage. And it might affect the future of the Imperial Household, which was retained in part as a measure of continuity. I'm not sure Akihito under a regency would be viewed the same way. But the war probably ends more or less when it did with the atomic bombings, though the identity and views of the regent would affect that. One difference would be that instead of hearing from the emperor, the Japanese people would hear from a regent about the surrender. That might affect the occupation in some ways. So you wind up with a more difficult war and perhaps a more difficult occupation. There are, from there, a lot of possible butterflies affecting postwar Japan.
 

GSD310

I wonder if Japan would be in a worst shape morale-wise if there was an intensification of fighting after the Emperor's death (ie. even after being "inspired" by the Emperor's death, they were still beaten).
 

pjmidd

To be honest , more bombs needed to get a surrender , high chance of a resistance ignoring the surrender leading to over reaction and spiraling destruction by the occupying forces. Not nice for Japan and probably ends with an anti-US state rather than OTL.
 

trurle

Banned
Then 11-years old Akihito takes the throne and is soon convinced by his uncles Nobuhito and Takahito to end the war (both held harsh anti-war attitudes). Actually Takahito went as far as asking Emperor Hirohito to abdicate IOTL. Pro-war uncle Yasuhito was ill since 1940 and did not attend any meetings.
 

eltf177

Wasn't the Imperial Palace off limits to bombing just to avoid such an accident?

Agreed, without the voice of the Emperor calling for surrender the militarists are in full control. No surrender, Olympic and Coronet will happen and the bloodbath will be horrific...
 

eltf177

True. the Emperor, despite his status, really was a puppet with little more than the respect the throne had. Even in 1945 Hirohito had a hard time convincing the militarists to surrender, and there easily could have been a coup to keep the war going...
 

Arkenfolm

If Akihito's grandmother and uncles are the regents, then Japan would surrender a bit earlier than OTL or at least on time. Not that the militarists wouldn't try something as in OTL.
 
Whiteshore

Whiteshore

I could see the most fanatical elements of Imperial Japan (like with Decisive Darkness) using this to exhort the Japanese to fight on even if they had to eat grass, sleep in the fields, and wallow in the fields in the words of General Anami.
 
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