"Emperor," a film directed by Peter Webber that takes up the subject of Emperor Showa and the postwar occupation period, has been showing at local theaters since July. The film's protagonist is Gen. Bonner Frank Fellers, who served as a subordinate to Supreme Commander Allied Forces Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
Writing in Shukan Shincho (Aug. 29), journalist Eiichiro Tokumoto researched the man and his times and extracted archival information that's far more interesting than the melodramatic fluff in the Hollywood script. Portions of his article are excerpted, with kind permission of the author and Shukan Shincho magazine.
Arriving in Japan immediately after the end of World War II to serve as MacArthur's military secretary, Fellers received a top-secret order to investigate the Emperor's role in the war. He was given 10 days to complete the task.