Emperor Hirohito of Japan

Birth : 1901-04-29, Tokyo, Japan

Death : 1989-01-07

History

Emperor Shōwa (29 April 1901 – 7 January 1989), commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name Hirohito, was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was succeeded by his fifth child and eldest son, Akihito. By 1979, Hirohito was the only monarch in the world with the title "emperor". He was the longest-reigning historical Japanese emperor and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the world.

Profile

Movies

Stalin's James Bond

Self (archive footage)

An account of the troubled life of Richard Sorge (1895-1944), a Soviet spy of German origin who played a decisive role in the outcome of World War II.

Mifune: The Last Samurai

Self (archive footage)

An account of the life and work of legendary Japanese actor Toshirō Mifune (1920-97), the most prominent actor of the Golden Age of Japanese cinema.

Tokyo Trial: Judging Japan

Himself (archive footage)

The story of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, known as the Tokyo Trial, which, just after the Second World War, was established in Japan as a special jurisdiction in 1946 (it was closed in 1948) to judge the war crimes of the Japanese leaders; and how and why officials in Washington prevented Emperor Hirohito to be seen sat on the bench.

Reagan

Self (archive footage)

Based on the story of Americas enigmatic career of one of the revered architects of the modern world - icon, screen star, and two-term president, Ronald Reagan.

Tokyo Olympiad

Self

This impressionistic portrait of the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics pays as much attention to the crowds and workers as it does to the actual competitive events. Highlights include an epic pole-vaulting match between West Germany and America, and the final marathon race through Tokyo's streets. Two athletes are highlighted: Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila, who receives his second gold medal, and runner Ahamed Isa from Chad, representing a country younger than he is.

Without Reservations

Newsreel (archive footage) (uncredited)

Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train, she encounters Marines Rusty and Dink, who don't know she is the author of the famous book, and who don't think much of the ideas it proposes. She and Rusty are greatly attracted, but she doesn't know how to deal with his disdain for the book's author.

Betrayal from the East

Hirohito (archive footage) (uncredited)

A carnival showman tries to keep Japanese spies from sabotaging the Panama Canal.

December 7th

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

"Docudrama" about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and its results, the recovering of the ships, the improving of defense in Hawaii and the US efforts to beat back the Japanese reinforcements.

The World at War

Self (archive footage)

Documentary examining the events which led up to the Second World War.

Warclouds in the Pacific

Himself (archive footage)

This short film examines the Japan that emerged at the beginning of the 1900s and was firmly established as an industrialized nation by the outbreak of World War II. Facing the greatest threat in their history, the democracies of the Pacific took careful stock of this new Japan and its strength, and erected a vast system of defence across the world's greatest ocean.

The Fight For Peace

Self (archive footage)

A documentary about the threat of war breaking out in Europe, focusing on Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.