Showa Emperor's Remorse Does Not Make His War Responsibility Go Away NHKスペシャル「拝謁記」を見て

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think is common between the Showa Emperor and Japanese people complaining about their lives but voting for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ("LDP")?

They are irresponsible, i.e., what they say does not match what they do. I thought so while watching a TV show about "Haietsuki" aired in early December.

"Haietsuki" is the detailed records kept by Michiji Tajima about his meetings with the Showa Emperor from June 1948 to December 1953. Tajima was a former businessman and upper house lawmaker turned into the first post-war Grand Steward of the Imperial Holding Agency and had had such meetings during his term of 5.5 years.

Tajima's records vividly show the emperor's agony from being unable to show his remorse to the public because he was stopped from doing so by Japanese and US politicians. The conversation between the emperor and the Grand Steward reproduced by two actors moved me.

However, that does not change the fact that he was responsible for the war. The Showa Emperor was not prosecuted at the Tokyo International Military Tribunal, but that's only because he was "useful," the exact word used by an American official, to contain the opposition against the US occupation of Japan. Also, although there might have been mitigating factors, that doesn't make his responsibility for the loss of millions of lives go away, either.

Tajima wrote that the emperor had repeatedly said during the meetings that he had been against the military's decisions but couldn't help but accept them, but it's easy to complain after the event. The emperor's excuse that he had no choices reminded me of people complaining on Twitter that they don't like Prime Minister Abe, but have been voting for the LDP saying that that's because they have no choices.

The Showa Emperor had choices and was responsible for the war as those complaining but doing nothing to change the status quo being responsible for allowing the current scandal-ridden Abe administration to continue.

What scares me more is that very few Japanese have blamed the emperor for his role in the war. How can the Supreme Commander during the war be not responsible? Treating the emperor in such a way, i.e., denying him the opportunity to admit his wrongdoing, apologize and be punished for it, and learn from it, is a breach of his human right. And such treatment has been infringing the human rights of other imperial family members, such as Princess Mako.

We make mistakes, so we have a judicial system under which those making mistakes are tried but at the same time be given the opportunity to make them right or make up for such mistakes. This is a cornerstone of democracy.

It's so wrong to claim that the Showa Emperor was not responsible for the war and moreover scary because those saying so should apply the same rule to themselves to evade their responsibilities and this may erode the foundation of democracy already in danger...

NHKで「拝謁記」に関する番組をやっていました。「拝謁記」とは初代宮内庁長官田島道治氏と昭和天皇との間の5年間（1948～1953年）の対話を田島氏が克明に記したメモです。

番組の制作趣旨に興味があったのですが、思った通り、そして悲しいことに「天皇に戦争責任はない」ということを訴えるためのようでした。

統帥権者だった昭和天皇に戦争責任がないなんておかしいと思います。東京裁判で起訴されなかったのは、日米で天皇を「使って」反米勢力を抑えようという合意があり（番組の中で実際に天皇が「useful」と表現されていたのには驚きました。）、「天皇は便利」→「だから起訴しなかった」だけのこと。情状酌量の余地があったというなら分かりますが、起訴すらされなかったのは逆に天皇の人権を無視した話だと思います。

昭和天皇の戦争責任であれ、好きになった人と結婚して失敗するかもしれない自由であれ（眞子内親王）、天皇そして皇族が人間の成長に必要な「間違う権利（もちろん戦争における間違いと婚姻における間違いはその影響度合いが違いますが）」そして「間違いから学んで成長する権利」を奪われていることは人道的に大きな問題だと思います。そして、それを理解しない日本人がこんなにも多いということは日本人の人権意識そして民度の低さを物語っていると思います。