THE NEW MIKADO

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19767, 15 February 1927, Page 8

THE NEW MIKADO

SIMPLE IN HIS TASTES A SPARTAN UPBRINGING KNOWS EMPIRE’S PROBLEMS Youthfulness, simplicity and a wholehearted preoccupation in the welfare of his subjects are some of the outstanding characteristics of Emperor Hirohito, the new sovereign of Japan. This is the impression of Air. Lewis Strauss of the American financial firm of Kuhn, Loeb and Co., who had a private audience with Hirohito last November. “One expects to sec a young man,” Mr. Strauss told a pressman, “but is, nevertheless, astonished at the youthfulness of Hirohito. He is only 26 and looks even younger. The austere regimen of his upbringing, in conformity with century-old custom in the imperial family, is responsible for the' clearness of his eye and the absence of any evidence of high living. “In the demeanor of the new Emperor there is such an absence of pomp or conscious pride that he first impresses one as almost shy. His glance, however, is fearless and his handclasp firm and vigorous. In his person arc typified the characteristic Japanese virtucs, good taste and the absence of play“On the occasion of the audience he wore a simple khaki uniform from which gold lace or ornament was conspicuously absent. Despite the ceremonial nature of the visit he had just made to the Aleiji shrine, on the anniversary of the birth of Emperor Aleiji, father of the late Emperor. Hirohito, he wore but one decoration un his tunic —the chrysanthemum, which is the crest of his house'.

“It is interesting to remember that Hirohito is more thoroughly representative of his people than any ruler in Europe, where royal marriages across State boundaries have mixed the blood of dynasties. For twenty-five centuries his ancestors in direct line have been Japanese, and Japanese only. However, the almost Spartan simplicity of their lives, bare of any indulgences or luxury, has maintained the strain as strong as it is pure.

“In the old imperial palaces at Kyoto and elsewhere, the visitor is impressed with evidence of the austerity of imperial home life and the absence of any important differences between the rooms in these residences of Emperors and in the residences of their humble subjects. True, the' woods of which they arc built are rare, and the joinery superb, but there is no difference in design or appointments, nor are there any conveniences that the ordinary man may not and does not possess. ‘ ‘ Reared in this atmosphere, the present Emperor, though separated from his people by the tradition of descent from the gods, is yet closer to them than perhaps any other ruler could be. His questions and his response to the replies his questions elicited indicated plainly his complete preoccupation in the welfare of his well-governed country. He has borne the responsibility of the crown since ill-hcAlth necessi tated the' complete retirement of tin late Emperor some five years ago. During that time it is said that he has shown a remarkable grasp of the problems of his country, both domestic and foreign, and a maturity of judgment that has excited the admiration of all, in a country where sagacity has been traditionally the perquisite of venerable age. “This should not be taken as an inference' that the Emperor has no avocations. On the contrary, ho is an ardent sportsman, and when the pressure of duties relaxes he may be found on the golf course or engaged in other varieties of outdoor activity.”