LONDON -- I regard myself as a friend of Japan, not least because I have many Japanese friends and appreciate Japanese arts and culture, but this does not mean that I can look at Japanese history through rose-tinted spectacles.
Arguments about the role of the Showa Emperor in World War II will continue. Was he, as some honestly believe, attempting to act as a constitutional monarch and thus did not feel able to take steps to prevent the war or end it earlier than August 1945? Or was he, as others allege, a willing accomplice in the launching of an aggressive war who condoned atrocities committed in his name?
I don't think the evidence of his responsibility is conclusive. Perhaps if he had been a more decisive character, the outcome might have been different, but it could also be argued that if he had attempted to stop the militarists he would have been quietly removed and a more amenable monarch installed.