Latest news with #Hirohito
30-05-2025
- General
'Occupied Kyoto': New Book Explores Postwar Treatment of Historic Sites
The most interesting details in Akio Satoko's book Kyoto senryō: 1945 nen no shinjitsu (Occupied Kyoto: The Truth About 1945) relate how and why famous and historic sites in the city came to be requisitioned during the postwar Allied Occupation of Japan, as well as the determined opposition to the occupying authorities' plans by Kyoto municipal officials and religious leaders. Below are just a few examples of the sites affected by requisition orders. Many of Kyoto's grand avenues, some of them 50 meters wide, run north to south. Dwellings lining those streets had been forcibly cleared away during the war, to prevent fire from spreading to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. After the war, one of them, Horikawa-dōri, was even used as a runway for small US forces' aircraft, since Kyoto had no airport. In December 1945, the Allied Occupation issued the Shintō Directive to end state support for Shintō, although shrines throughout the country were left undisturbed so that people could worship there if they saw fit. As a result, Heian Jingū's main shrine was spared, but surrounding structures were requisitioned, transforming the area into a so-called 'American village.' Other buildings requisitioned by the Occupation forces included the Kyoto Enthronement Memorial Museum of Art, erected to commemorate the enthronement of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito); it is today the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art. The building was used for lodgings and as a hospital for Occupation personnel. A martial arts hall was turned into a noncommissioned officers' club, half of the Kyoto City Zoo became a parking lot, and other structures were used as storage depots for arms and materiel. At one point, the Imperial Palace, where generations of emperors had lived, and its surrounding gardens, were in danger of being requisitioned as well. Occupation authorities were looking for a spacious plot of land on which to build homes for 245 families, but to Kyotoites, handing over the Imperial Palace was unthinkable, even if Japan's emperors had resided in Tokyo since the nineteenth century. After long negotiations, Occupation officials accepted an offer of land at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens instead. It is likely that this decision was influenced by Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers General Douglas MacArthur's pronouncement after meeting with Emperor Hirohito in late September 1945 that the imperial system would be maintained. But site preparation at the Botanical Gardens saw over three-quarters of the more than 25,000 trees there cut down in the process. Gods or Golf? The Occupation authority's Kyoto commander was a golf lover who attempted to turn Kamigamo Shrine, Kyoto's oldest Shintō shrine, into a golf course. Shrine leaders learned of this when they were called to the Kyoto prefectural government office in September 1946. They were told that the proposed site for the golf course was the sacred Mount Kōyama, where the shrine's deity is said to have descended to earth and where the miare rite, the most important ritual of the shrine's Aoi Festival, is conducted. The shrine opposed the plan, but construction nevertheless began in October. In the end, the project was scrubbed when the central government objected, but by that time 4,000 of the shrine's sacred trees had been felled, with less than half remaining. The commander was tenacious, though: he finally got his golf course two years later, built on land owned by the shrine, the experimental forest of Kyoto University's faculty of agriculture, and privately-owned land. Today, that course is the Kyoto Golf Club. The war did not spare the heart of Kyoto's traditional culture either. In March 1944, all geisha quarters throughout the country had been ordered closed and okami teahouse proprietors, geisha, and nakai room attendants were put to work for the war effort. Gion's Kaburenjō, where young geisha trained in dance and the grand Miyako Odori dance performance took place, became a denture factory, and balloon bombs were fabricated at the Yasaka Kaikan hall next door. During the Occupation, the Kaburenjō became a dance hall for the US military, and the building was only returned to Gion in 1951. Today, 80 years after the end of the war, older Kyotoites remember this dark period of Kyoto's history, but such episodes are mostly unknown to Japanese and to foreign visitors. Even so, it is interesting to explore the story behind each of these examples. Kyoto senryō: 1945 nen no shinjitsu (Occupied Kyoto: The Truth About 1945) By Akio SatokoPublished by Shinchōsha in December 2024 ISBN: 978-4-10-611070-2
16-05-2025
Akiyoshidai Plateau and the Akiyoshidō Cave: Natural Wonders in Yamaguchi
Akiyoshidai is a sprawling plateau in rural Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture, around 300 meters high and dotted with karst limestone formations. Its history goes back some 350 million years. Millenia of coral reefs growing and being covered in sediment resulted in layers of limestone rock, which were pushed up above the surface by tectonic activity. Then, years of rainfall eroded the layers of limestone to form the karst formations that jut from the soil. Limestone dissolves relatively easily in water, so water seeping through the soil over the centuries has also carved out caves under the plateau, causing collapses and drops in the surface level. The landscape of Akiyoshidai, dotted with these depressions and accented with weathered karst formations, has been designated a special natural monument by the Japanese government. The view of Akiyoshidai Quasi-national Park from the Karst Observatory deck. (© ) There are over 400 caves in the limestone beneath Akiyoshidai. The largest of them is Akiyoshidō, which is also a designated special natural monument. It is 10.7 kilometers long overall, making it the second longest in Japan after Iwate Prefecture's Akkadō at 23.7 kilometers. Roughly one kilometer of its length is open to tours, with lighting and walkways, and is one of the most popular sightseeing spots in the prefecture. The cave complex has massive open spaces. This photo shows a formation called Chimachida at the bottom of the Senjōjiki cavern, which is 80 meters wide and 175 long. (© ) The ceiling above Senjōjiki is covered with countless stalactites, which are called kasazukushi , or 'hanging umbrellas.' (© ) Stepping Through to a Massive Cave The main entrance to Akiyoshidō is at the south end, with another at the northern end called the Kurotaniguchi, and there is an elevator-served entrance toward the middle of the tour course leading to an exit near the Akiyoshidai Karst Observatory. Most visitors buy their tickets at the main entrance, which stands at the end of a lively shopping street lined with souvenir shops, restaurants, and more. The ticket office at the cave's main entrance. (© ) There is a shuttle bus running between the Kurotani Entrance stop, the Akiyoshidai stop near the Karst Observatory deck, and the Akiyoshidō terminal at the main entrance on weekends. It only runs five times a day, so be sure to check times. (© ) The main Akiyoshidō entrance is also a sight worth seeing. There, a covered walkway leads to a 20-meter-tall, 8-meter-wide gap in the rocks where a rushing waterfall pours out, bringing the cave's underground river to the surface. This is the source of the cave name used until the late Taishō era (1912–26), which was Takiana, or 'waterfall hole.' In 1926, Crown Prince Hirohito (who would become emperor the following year) visited, an occasion marked by a renaming of the complex as Akiyoshidō. It uses the same reading as Akiyoshidai plateau, but a different kanji that some people also read as Shūhōdō. This is reflected in the district name, Shūhōchō, which is a note of caution when using map apps and GPS guides. The main entrance to Akiyoshidō is particularly beautiful in the autumn. (© ) Packed with 'Must-Sees' On entering the cave, you are immediately greeted by a space called Aotenjō, the 'blue ceiling.' The sun filtering through the gap reflects off the water flowing past, dying the ceiling a pale blue. The tour course leads past a wide variety of beautiful phenomena and formations, filling the roughly hour-long walk with things to see and enjoy. One spot that seems to particularly charm visitors is the Hyakumaizara, or 'one hundred plates.' Limestone dissolved in water creates a lipped formation called rimstone around puddles, resulting in something that looks like a stack of rimmed plates filled with clear water going up a gentle slope. It's a sight reminiscent of hillside rice paddies in spring. There are in fact over 500 of these spread across the floor of the cave, not just 100. The air inside the cave is a stable 17 degrees Celsius, cool in summer and warm in winter, so it's best to dress appropriately with layers to add or remove. (© ) The celebrated Hyakumaizara. (© ) There are also massive pillars and rocks resembling various creatures, with the cave's most famous sight being perhaps the Koganebashira, the 'golden pillar.' It is a massive and beautiful calcareous sinter pillar 15 meters tall and 4 meters across. It can appear like the pillar of a massive underground temple or a frozen waterfall gushing from the ceiling, with an added touch of elegant laciness. Calcareous sinter, or calc-sinter, is a porous form of limestone that also plays a role in formations like the Sekkaika no Taki (calc-sinter waterfall) and the Kurage Takinobori (jellyfish climbing the waterfall). The limestone dissolved in water droplets deposits little by little over the centuries to create human-like stalagmites with names like Gankutsuō (the cave king) and Maria Kannon, a moniker blending the Mary of Christian tradition and the Buddhist bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Koganebashira stands just beyond the Senjōjiki chamber. (© ) This formation looks like jellyfish swimming up a waterfall. (© ) The Gankutsuō, made of several stalagmites blended together, gives off the aura of a spirit watching over the cave. (© ) After enjoying the tour course, we recommend taking the elevator up to Akiyoshidai. A short seven or eight-minute walk to the observation deck is perfect to enjoy the view, and there are great walking courses across the plateau so you can contemplate the hundreds of millions of years of natural history on display. The Mine Akiyoshidai Geopark Center, or Karstar, next to the observatory has a cafe and a free-to-use rest space inside. There are also rental bicycles and electric carts that many visitors enjoy using to tour the Karst Road running north-south across the plateau. The Karst Observatory is to the right and Karstar is to the left. (© ) There are five mapped walking courses through the plateau. The shortest is the Karst Observatory Course, at around one hour round-trip. (© ) Special Natural Monument Akiyoshidō Cave Location: 3449-1 Akiyoshi, Shūhōchō, Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture 3449-1 Akiyoshi, Shūhōchō, Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture Hours: 8:30 am to 6:30 pm (March–November); 8:30 am to 5:30 pm (December–February) Entrance allowed until 1 hour before closing. The Kurotaniguchi and Elevator Entrances are open until 4:30 pm. 8:30 am to 6:30 pm (March–November); 8:30 am to 5:30 pm (December–February) Entrance allowed until 1 hour before closing. The Kurotaniguchi and Elevator Entrances are open until 4:30 pm. Open every day Fees: ¥1,300 (high school students and above); ¥1,050 (junior high school students); ¥700 (elementary school students) ¥1,300 (high school students and above); ¥1,050 (junior high school students); ¥700 (elementary school students) Access: Approx. 40 minutes by Bōchō Bus from JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station to Akiyoshidō Bus Center (Originally published in Japanese. Reporting, text, and photos by . Banner photo: Hyakumaizara, Akiyoshidō Cave's most popular spot. © .)
14-05-2025
- Politics
Japan's Emperor Naruhito Plants Rice Seedlings at Palace
News from Japan Society May 14, 2025 18:18 (JST) Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Emperor Naruhito planted rice seedlings at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward in an annual tradition Wednesday. The custom was originally started by Emperor Hirohito, the current Emperor's grandfather and posthumously known as Emperor Showa. Wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, gray pants and black rain boots, Emperor Naruhito walked into the rice field by the Biological Laboratory on the grounds of the palace, crouched down and carefully planted 20 seedlings of Nihon Masari nonglutinous rice and Mangetsu Mochi glutinous rice. The rice will be harvested by the Emperor this autumn and used for court rituals, including the Niiname-sai harvest ceremony in November. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Forward
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Forward
Remember the Showa Era by Strengthening Unity Within Japan
Today we find ourselves facing severe domestic and international situations. The world economy is in turmoil and concerns about a Taiwan contingency and other crises are ever present. At a time like this, it makes sense to look back on the turbulent Showa era. April 29 marked Showa Day (Showa no Hi). This national holiday celebrates the birthday of Emperor Showa (Emperor Hirohito). It is defined by the National Holidays Act as a day to "look back on the Showa era, which saw the country recover after turbulent times, and to consider the nation's future." Television sets on display at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, November 18, 1953. NHK began broadcasting that February, followed by the launch of Nippon Television in August. Next year, 2026, marks the 100th anniversary of the advent of the Showa era (1926-89). At present, almost one in three Japanese were born during or after the Heisei era, which lasted from 1989 to 2019, and are unfamiliar with what things were like during Showa. But why not ask your grandparents, parents, and other relatives about what it was like back then in the Showa period? We would like to see people who lived through those turbulent times pass on their experiences to younger generations. The Osaka Expo bustling with crowds on its opening day on March 15, 1970. The Showa era was marked by hardships from the start, with the Showa Depression beginning in 1927 and the Great Depression following two years later. The Japanese economy did recover fairly quickly and began to experience economic growth in the prewar Showa period. But this growth was stymied by economic blocs created by the United States, Great Britain, and other Western countries, which established high tariff walls around their colonies. Japan also became mired down in military conflicts, including the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. A kamishibai (paper theater) scene from the early Showa period. Stories like "Golden Bat" (one of Japan's first superhero characters) were popular. The Japanese people fought with all their might under the banner of "self-preservation and self-defense and the liberation of Asia from Western colonialism." But the nation ended up losing 3.1 million people before its ultimate defeat in August 1945. The government found itself at an impasse as to whether Japan should accept the terms of unconditional surrender demanded by the Allied Powers in the Potsdam Declaration. It was a dramatic decision by the Showa Emperor that broke the deadlock and settled the matter. Japan then had to suffer occupation by a foreign power for the first time in its long history, with full sovereignty being restored in April 1952. Dedicating itself to pursuing a path of peace, Japan achieved a period of rapid growth lauded as an "economic miracle." Indeed, by 1968 the nation's gross national product reached ¥51 trillion JPY (around $355 billion USD), making it the second-largest Western economic power. And in 1975 Japan became the only Asian member of the summit of the richest industrialized nations (at the time referred to as "the G6"). There have been various assessments of the wars and economic growth experienced during the Showa era. However, the role they played in the elimination of racial discrimination around the world has surely been underappreciated. Ueno Station crowded with large numbers of junior high school graduates arriving from rural areas on mass employment trains. Scenes like this continued into the 1960s. Emperor Showa always shared the joys and sorrows of his subjects. In the immediate postwar years from 1946 to 1954, the emperor toured the nation to personally encourage the public. Emperor Showa was enthusiastically welcomed by the common people throughout Japan while these imperial visits served to bind the nation closer together. During a postwar tour, Emperor Showa visits Shonai Village in Fukuoka Prefecture (now Iizuka City). The woman beside him appears to be searching for him, possibly expecting him to be in military uniform. May 1949. Our national character of being able to weather crises, thanks to the people being united under the Emperor and the Imperial Family, was very apparent during the Showa era, and it continues to this day. The government is planning to hold a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the Showa era in 2026. We hope preparations for this event will proceed in such a way that this ceremony will serve to commemorate the benevolence and other virtues of Emperor Showa, express gratitude to our ancestors, and strengthen unity within Japan. ( Read the editorial in Japanese . ) Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Trump's state visit could spark a constitutional crisis
The day after Donald Trump and JD Vance ambushed Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, an American friend (who is no fan of the US president) railed at me by text message about what she considered the King's poor judgment in asking Trump to pay a state visit – and an unprecedented second one at that. Why was His Majesty bestowing this honour on a head of state who had publicly humiliated a supposed ally in this way? I explained that the King acts in all political matters (which include the diplomatic decision about a state visit), only on the advice of his ministers. This convention exists to keep the Crown above politics. That the King had written to president Trump – a letter the president joyfully flaunted during his meeting last week with Sir Keir Starmer – inviting him to Britain was, I told her, not because His Majesty wanted it, but because his Prime Minister thought an invitation was in the national interest. Once Starmer had told the King his ministers' wishes, His Majesty had to comply. 'The King will not be dragged into politics. He will follow the advice of his Prime Minister. State visits are a vital part of soft power. And soft power is all we have left,' says one senior politician. It might, of course, be the case that the King accepted the pragmatic argument for a state visit, which will doubtless help Starmer's efforts to court Trump as America's relationship with the rest of the world becomes increasingly uncertain. If the King did object, however, refusing would have precipitated a constitutional crisis – the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Government, and a general election on the issue. If, after such an election, Starmer remained in office and the King still refused, it could force an abdication. Happily, no monarch has tried to ignore the wishes of his or her government since the 17th century, which is why the monarchy attracts such respect. Perhaps the most controversial state visit in living memory was that of Hirohito, the Japanese emperor, whose throne had survived despite his country's defeat in 1945. Japan's economic power had persuaded the Heath administration that it was worth cultivating Hirohito. However, just a quarter of a century after that war, many veterans were still alive, including some who had suffered appallingly in Japan's bestial prisoner-of-war camps. Opposition to the visit was widespread. In October 1971, thousands of protesters lined The Mall as Emperor Hirohito and the late Queen passed by in an open carriage. They stood in silence and turned their backs on Hirohito. Some wore red gloves, marking the bloodshed for which they held him responsible. 'We cannot pretend the past did not exist', the Queen said at the state banquet. Seven years later she tried to pretend the Romanian tyrant Nicolae Ceaușescu did not exist, when the Callaghan administration asked him and his wife to Britain to try to improve relations with the Soviet bloc. To avoid having to talk to them the Queen hid behind a bush in the gardens of Buckingham Palace while walking her dogs. Valuables were hidden to prevent them being stolen. Worse, the Queen was forced to give the dictator a knighthood (of which he was later stripped). Ceaușescu's barbarism and corruption were well known, as were Robert Mugabe's, who came in 1994. Putin came in 2003 and even then met protests. David Cameron's strategy of ingratiating Britain with China led to a visit from Xi Jinping in 2015, and human rights protests. The then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall missed the state banquet, disliking Xi's human rights record. However, princes have more freedom of action than monarchs. In addition to his recent transgression in the Oval Office, Trump is accused by his detractors of misogyny and racial prejudice. He has also described climate change – a cause championed by the King over many years – as 'one of the great scams of all time.' It is not difficult to believe that the King might privately take a dim view of the president's past antics and abhor the way he treated Zelensky last week. The King is not, however, powerless. The 19th century constitutional writer Walter Bagehot famously said that three rights had evolved for sovereigns under constitutional monarchy: the right to be consulted, the right to advise and the right to warn. The King would have been consulted about the Trump visit by the Prime Minister. What we do not know, and will only know when documents are released decades hence, is whether the King advised Starmer on how the invitation should be couched, or even warned him that it might have regrettable consequences. Starmer could decide to ignore such a warning. A courtier tells me that the King's style is very different to his late mother's, and that if the situation deteriorated he might issue a 'trenchant' warning to his Prime Minister; he is 'highly sensitive' to public feeling. After the Zelensky incident, politicians from various parties said the invitation should be rescinded. The Scottish National Party leader, John Swinney, said it was 'hard to believe' it could stand; Alicia Kearns, a Tory MP, wanted it cancelled. There are rumours of disquiet in Labour's ranks, whose considerable cohort of Trump-haters have so far kept quiet. Calls to reconsider the invitation also came from Canada, which Trump believes should become America's 51st state. 'I don't think Trump realises the King is Canada's Head of State too,' says a former minister. 'If he persists in trying to annex Canada, that would change everything.' In an interview with The Telegraph this week, Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta, Canada's wealthiest province, publicly urged the King to stand up to Trump over his threat to annexe the Commonwealth nation. Starmer refuses to withdraw the invitation. An unpleasant tone emerged from Washington, with hints of consequences for the UK/US relationship if the visit were stopped. Public feeling appears strong against the visit. A poll published five days after the Zelensky ambush showed 42 per cent of Britons opposed to it, and 51 per cent saying Trump should never have been asked in the first place. Two petitions demanding the visit be cancelled quickly attracted 280,000 signatures. A petition against his 2019 state visit garnered 1.8 million signatures, when the provocation was less. The poll was conducted before the president's decision to 'pause' military aid to Ukraine. As it becomes clear that the Trump administration no longer shares the same stance on Ukraine and Nato as Britain or much of Europe, opposition to a visit meant to reinforce a shared commitment could increase. This shift could have significant constitutional implications, which the Prime Minister will need to address, with the King remaining vigilant. Serious public disquiet, or even civil disobedience, arising from the visit or even just from its imminence, could well drag the King into politics – the very thing the constitutional monarchy was designed to avoid. In 2019 a demonstration of an estimated 75,000 people filled central London for Trump's first visit; the public perception that Trump had bullied and abandoned Ukraine could provoke a far larger one. His Majesty, however unfairly, might be identified with the presence and the actions of the unpopular president. That might not merely damage the King's reputation; it could damage the institution of monarchy, something the constitution has evolved to avoid. These are delicate issues, as they always are when trying to renew relations with a head of state whose behaviour leaves much to be desired. The Government will have to decide whether more damage might be done by Trump's coming, or by his not coming. It could be one of the most important decisions Starmer ever has to make. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
