Emperor Showa Speaks: The Path to War - Part 2 (1937-1941)

Soon after Japan's defeat, Emperor Showa spoke at great length about the path to the Pacific War. This discussion was recorded in the Haietsuki (Records of Imperial Audiences). The emperor spoke of his remorse over the inability to restrain the Japanese military during a time of international upheaval. In addition, the journals of the emperor's grand chamberlain Hyakutake Saburo were made public in September 2021. In 1941, the emperor had high expectations for negotiations with the US. Japan's advance into southern French Indochina (now Vietnam) brought unforseen American economic sanctions. In the end, the emperor ordered Tojo Hideki to form a Cabinet, and went on to sanction the beginning of the war. The journals record his anguish in great detail. These newly available historical documents, coupled with dramatic recreations, are used to examine the decision-making of the emperor and his close aides in the period leading to the outbreak of the Pacific War. (Excerpt)

Release Date: 2017-10-07
Seasons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TMDb: 9.0/10
  • Country: JP
  • Language: 日本語 | English
  • Runtime: 50

Other episodes for this season

Heirs of the Red Gene: A Century of Chinese Communist Rule
Episode 1 - Heirs of the Red Gene: A...
Emperor Showa Speaks: The Path to War - Part 1 (1928-1937)
Episode 2 - Emperor Showa Speaks: The...
Emperor Showa Speaks: The Path to War - Part 2 (1937-1941)
Episode 3 - Emperor Showa Speaks: The Path to War - Part 2 (1937-1941)
FINDING SATOSHI
Episode 4 - FINDING SATOSHI
A Monk’s Lessons: Living Amid Death From COVID
Episode 5 - A Monk’s Lessons: Living...
Carbon Farming: A Climate Solution Under Our Feet
Episode 6 - Carbon Farming: A Climate...
Reviving Tezuma: Japan's Traditional Magic
Episode 7 - Reviving Tezuma: Japan's...
The Unknown Master of Restoration
Episode 8 - The Unknown Master of Res...
Fukushima Monologue II
Episode 9 - Fukushima Monologue II
Fukushima: The Curse of Groundwater
Episode 10 - Fukushima: The Curse of G...
Ukraine: Prelude to a Crisis
Episode 11 - Ukraine: Prelude to a Cri...
Rainbow Family
Episode 12 - Rainbow Family
A Teacher's Life Lesson
Episode 13 - A Teacher's Life Lesson
Karl and Tina: Village Life in the Deep Snow
Episode 14 - Karl and Tina: Village Li...
Daily Life in Times of War
Episode 15 - Daily Life in Times of Wa...
Kyiv, the Resistance of Citizens
Episode 16 - Kyiv, the Resistance of C...
Art of the Inland Sea
Episode 17 - Art of the Inland Sea
Art is Our Voice
Episode 18 - Art is Our Voice
Land of Rising Dreams?
Episode 19 - Land of Rising Dreams?
Karl and Tina: Bountiful Autumn in the Village
Episode 20 - Karl and Tina: Bountiful...
Mississippi Revealed
Episode 21 - Mississippi Revealed
JAPAN-NORTH KOREA SUMMIT: Behind the Curtain
Episode 22 - JAPAN-NORTH KOREA SUMMIT:...
Mountainous Traditions
Episode 23 - Mountainous Traditions
OKINAWA'S RETURN: 50 YEARS ON - Islands at Odds with Peace & Security -
Episode 24 - OKINAWA'S RETURN: 50 YEAR...
Poet of the Piano Fuzjko Hemming: On a Journey to Chopin's Mallorca
Episode 25 - Poet of the Piano Fuzjko...
Stopping the Next Pandemic: The Virus Hunters' Mission - Part 1
Episode 26 - Stopping the Next Pandemi...
Danjuro: A Kabuki Star for Three Centuries
Episode 27 - Danjuro: A Kabuki Star fo...
Stopping the Next Pandemic: The Virus Hunters' Mission - Part 2
Episode 28 - Stopping the Next Pandemi...