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A partial explanation of why he survived the war
Hirohito is without question the most amazing political survivor of the last two centuries. Just as incredible is the fact that it was not due to either his political or economic abilities. Therefore, he can also be considered one of the luckiest people of the last two centuries. As Japan moved towards a full-scale war for domination of the Asian continent, he was both engaged and detached from the events. In fact, historians still debate his involvement in the actions of the Japanese military throughout the thirties until the end of the war.
This is an excellent and very even-handed presentation of Hirohito, with an emphasis on the years before and during World War II. Japanese society of that time is an example of extreme nationalism run amok, often characterized as a government by assassination. The only point of stability was the Emperor, but only if he maintained the premise of being above the dirty business of running the country. This point is put across in a clear manner, something that must be well-known if you are to have any hope of understanding why Japan embarked on such foolhardy military moves that were doomed to fail. Locked in a war of attrition in China that could not possibly be won, the Japanese chose to also move against the United States, locking them into a two front war that could only lead to defeat. It was the first manifestation of the kamikaze mentality that became so dominant in the last months of the war.
It is most unlikely that we will ever know the extent of the involvement of Hirohito in the decisions that led to Japan's military adventures in World War II. He remained a figurehead of Japanese society after the war, no longer a formal god on Earth, but still very much an informal one. This is a tape that all those interested in either Japan or the war in the Pacific should view.