Hirohito

Born in 1901 as the grandson of Emperor Meiji, Hirohito became crown prince in 1916 and regent in 1921 after his father fell ill. He ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 1926 and presided over Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937. On 1 December 1941, he formally sanctioned the decision to attack the United States; a week later, Japan struck Pearl Harbor. After atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviets invaded Manchuria, he ordered surrender in a radio broadcast on 15 August 1945. General Douglas MacArthur, seeking a compliant figurehead for occupation, blocked any evidence that might implicate him at the Tokyo war crimes tribunal. In 1946, under Allied pressure, Hirohito renounced his divinity; a year later, a U.S.-drafted constitution recast him as a ceremonial symbol. He remained emperor until his death in January 1989, the longest reign in Japanese history.