MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito

[Frodo]

What do you think?

[The Mikado]

Yes, even though the Emperor was guilty.  You don't go around executing other people's gods (even if you do make them renounce their divinity.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

No, they should have been tried for what they did, like the Nazis at Nuremberg.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Hirohitler. Not Hirohito. Spell it rite!!111

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Those around knew how important the Imperial family were for Japanese people, the allies wanted to re-build Japan - without them it would have been a much more difficult task. While I don't agree with them being absolved of responsibility, I understand the practicalities behind it.

[Verily]

He should have been forced to abdicate and replaced by Akihito (who was only 12 at the time).

[Stranger in a strange land]

all in all, yes. Even though horrible atrocities were committed  in his name, the emperor was not responsible for them. Killing the emperor would have made post-war reconciliation difficult if not impossible.

[J. J.]

I think he was necessary to preventing a bloodbath.

[dead0man]

I'm with the consensus.  He probably should have faced some more punishment than he got, but by doing so we would have made it much more difficult to get to where we are today with our relationship with Japan.

[Хahar 🤔]

He should have been forced to abdicate and replaced by Akihito (who was only 12 at the time).

That would make sense, though I'm not sure abdication would be aceptable in the Japanese culture of the time.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

He should have been forced to abdicate and replaced by Akihito (who was only 12 at the time).

That would make sense, though I'm not sure abdication would be acceptable in the Japanese culture of the time.

Abdication was once quite common for the Emperors, even abdication if favor of an underaged emperor, though the last time an emperor abdicated was in 1817 when the 45-year old Tomohito, Hirohito's great-great-great-grandfather abdicated in favor of his 17-year old son, Ayahito.  So abdication would have been a possibility, indeed, there were those within the Imperial Family who were angling for an abdication, but they were also thinking in terms of being named regent for Akihito.

[Flying Dog]

Since he was basically powerless and had no back-bone then no. His crimes were not worth the bloodshed that would have happened if he had been tried.