Hirohito — silent 'symbol of unity’ for Japanese

Press, 9 May 1980, Page 13

Hirohito — silent 'symbol of unity’ for Japanese

From

BRUCE ROSCOE

in Tokyo

I The man whose words ; alone, when broadcast at ■ midday nationwide for the j first time ever on August i 15, 1945, were enough to • convince the Japanese ! people that the Pacific 1 War was over, turned 79 lon April 29. Emperor [Hirohito is, now that I Josip Tito has died, the I last surviving major figure ■ from the Second World • War;

, The chrysanthemum ■ curtain, a sj’mbol of the 1 secrecy surrounding the | life of a man who before j the Pacific War Japanese were indoctrinated to be-

lieve was a descendant of the gods, has never been fully drawn back. Yet, little by little, the Japanese are becoming more

familiar with the everyday life of their emperor who, this year, or by the Japanese calendar the 55th year of the Showa era (enlightened peace), has reigned the longest of any Japanese monarch.

The Imperial Household Agency does not allow political questions to be directed at the Emperor; he, himself, has. never detailed in public his

views on his role in history.

Japan’s “symbol of unity,” who today reigns but does not rule, is portrayed as a shy family man who dotes over his nine grandchildren, loves hiking with the Empress, and breakfasts on bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee — a habit he is said to have acquired during a trip to Europe in 1921.

According to the Imperial Household Agency, he is in excellent health, has never suffered anything worse than a cold since the age of 23, does not drink or smoke, loves sweets, and goes to bed at about 10 p.m. The Emperor’s duties are much the same as those of Queen Elizabeth, except that technically the Queen has more pow’er and certainly travels more. His working day consists of meeting foreign dignitaries —he met King Carl Gustaf and Queen Julia of Sweden on April 14 — being briefed on domestic issues, and signing reams of official documents. The secret of the Emperor’s health is walking, according to his doctors. On Sundays, he takes a two-hour stroll around his palace grounds — a park-like compound surrounded by a moat — in downtown Tokyo. While he appears in the traditional kimono when officiating in ceremonies at any of the three Imperial Palace Shinto shrines, during normal working hours the Emperor wears a western business suit, with a white shirt and tie. His tastes in food, too, are

markedly western: he is known hardly ever to eat Japanese food.

The Emperor will be succeeded by Crown Prince Akihito, aged 46, thus continuing the Imperial Line which dates back to 660 B.C. The Prince, too, leads an active life, and is said to enjoy skiing and riding horseback. He caused an Imperial commotion in 1959 by marrying a Japanese of non-arsitocratic origins — a commoner he had met on a tennis court — but apart from that he has cautiously avoided scandal and controversy. Recent public opinion polls in Japan show that the Japanese admire their royal family, with about 70 per cent wanting him to continue to “serve as a symbol of the unity of the Japanese people.” Still, there are small groups of nationalists who strive to enlarge his role — their propaganda through loud speakers, fixed to vans can occasionally be heard on the streets of downtown Tokyo — as well as a limited number who believe that maintaining the palace is a waste of money. ■

The Emperor’s re-

nouncement of his divinity after the Pacific War enabled him to avoid being prosecuted as a war criminal and remain as head of state. Since that time, the Imperial Household Agency has granted one television interview, on the occasion of his return from a trip to the United States in 1975.

The interviewer slipped in a question with the devilish word “sekinin” —

responsibility — concerning the pre-war period. The Emperor’s reply — one which is often remembered in conversation among Japanese when they speak of their monarch — was: “I am unable to answer because I am not well versed in the field of literature.”

Later, in 1976 during the golden jubilee of his reign, in a rare interview with a Tokyo newspaper, the Emperor, again probed on the period which Japanese historians call the “kurai tanima” — dark valiey — was more reflective: " “When I think of the many victims and their families of the last war, and I still see the scars of that conflict, my heart is filled with sorrow.”