Hirohito: The Emperor and the Man

In this informative and sympathetic biography, Hoyt describes how Hirohito (1901-1989) was made a symbol by the Japanese constitution and social system, then exploited by army conspirators who seized control of the government in 1932. While attempting to break out of the system that imprisoned him, Hoyt recounts, the emperor repeatedly tried to thwart the militarists' headlong drive to wage war in China, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. The Hirohito portrayed here is a man of good will and peaceful intentions, largely unaware of the wartime acts committed in his name. Hoyt clarifies Hirohito's role during the postwar Occupation, and explains his unique relationship with the Japanese people. He closes the book with an account of the Japanese people's ongoing difficulty in ``finding a base on which to assess the past,'' particularly wartime atrocities. Hoyt is the author of Yamamoto: The Man Who Planned Pearl Harbor. Photos. (May)