The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present... The Pacific Story. [♪triumphant music playing on radio and radio station In the mounting fury of world conflict, events in the Pacific are taking on ever greater importance. Here is the story of the Pacific and the millions of people who live around this greater sea. The drama of the people whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. Here, as another public service, is the tale of the war in the Pacific and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. [♪triumphant music playing on radio and radio station The myth of the Son of Heaven. [♪triumphant music playing on radio and radio station Hey, look at them up there, lining the rails, waving. What do you think you'd be doing if you were coming home after being a prisoner in Japan for a couple of years? There's a boatload of stories up there. Every one of those people is a story. The one I'm interested in is McWade. Well, who isn't? Tyler McWade? That's the guy my editor wants a picture of. That so? Yes. I've already got him sued up, exclusive. Uh... He's the dean of these repatriates, and he's going to be the toughest one to get to. Oh, I don't know. Hey, Cap, when are you going to put us on boarder? Keep your shirt on. The newspaper guy's no same. Well, how about making it snappy? I've got a deadline on my neck. Hey, me too. What's with the tug? Not a helicopter? Ah, quit being subtle. [♪knocking on door and door sounds Look, Cap, they're dropping the Jacob's Ladder down over the side. Hey, you, just stand back there. Wait till I bring the tug up alongside the ship before you try to reach the Jacob's Ladder. Ah, I was only trying to save some time. What do you want to do, Butch? Drop that camera equipment of yours into the drink? Ah, right. Look out for yourself. You wouldn't want to get to Tyler McWade first, would you, Butch? McWade is probably waiting for me up there right now. All right, grab the ladder. Up you go. Go ahead, Butch. After you. Thanks. All right. Take a later. Hey, now, just hold it, will you? Just like that, Mr. McWade. That's it. So how long were you in Japan, Mr. McWade? Twenty-three years. And when were you taken prisoner? The day war was declared. And now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, please... Just one more picture, Mr. McWade. Would you take your hat off again, please? That's right, Mr. McWade. Thank you. Now, you'll have to excuse me, because... Mr. McWade, my name is Carlton. I wanted to ask you about something different. I'm sorry. You see, so few of us in this country seem to understand the attitude of the Japanese toward their emperor. You know, you've put your finger on one of the strongest points of our enemy. Uh, where did this idea, this concept come from? Well, that's a big story. Come and see me tomorrow, I'll tell you. You'll find me by telephoning this number. Then, uh, this idea is dimmed into their ears from the cradle to the grave. Exactly. They believe not only in the divinity of their emperor, but also in the divinity of their land and of themselves. And this belief has the effect of tying together the villages and hamlets and towns and cities of Japan into a mighty nation. Well, certainly Mr. McWade's the intelligent Japanese. I mean, the well-educated class doesn't believe that. Perhaps some few don't, but the great overwhelming majority does. And that's what's important. That's what makes Japan so formidable. Where did they get this idea, Mr. McWade? Where did it start? Well, Carlton, that goes back to the story of the birth of the Japanese islands. Japanese today will... Pre-Couple, a man named Izanagi and a woman named Izanami. They were ordered to give birth to the drifting land. Izanagi thrust his dual spear into the sea. From the coagulation that took place, the irons of Japan were formed. And from the drops that fell from the spear, the rest of the world came into being. Therefore, all the nations of the world should be grateful to Japan. Because to Japan, the world owes its existence. And therefore, it is... So you see, Carlton, the basis of their belief is mythology. That's what makes it so incredible to us. The ancient Romans and the Greeks and the Egyptians believed in mythology, but... Well, that was thousands of years ago. But the Japanese still believe in this mythology today. Do I understand, Mr. McWade, that the Japanese believe that their race is divine? Yes, and every Japanese is taught to believe that he is more or less a god. So you can see that a soldier who dies in battle becomes a full god and joins the great family in the Lotus Heaven. Well, assuming that, where does the attitude of the Japanese toward their emperor today stem from? That is related to the same myth. Izanagi and Izanami had a daughter, Amaterasu, or Mikami. Oh, yeah, she's a sun goddess, isn't she? Yes. Well, this Amaterasu sent her grandson down from heaven to rule over Japan. She commanded... This wreath-print of 15,000 atoms of fair rice years is the country over which my descendants shall be lords. Do thou, my august grandchild, proceed thither and roll over it. Go, and may prosperity attend thy dynasty, and it shall, like heaven and earth, endure forever. The great grandchild of this prince who came down from heaven was Jimu Tenno, and that is a name to remember. Jimu Tenno? Yes, Jimu Tenno became the first emperor of Japan to serve on earth. And all the emperors since then are related directly to this Jimu Tenno? Yes, and through him to the sun goddess Amaterasu, who was the daughter of that first holy couple, Izanagi and Izanami. That makes it a direct line of descent from the first holy couple right down to Hirohito today. Exactly. About when did this Jimu Tenno appear on earth? The Japanese say he started his rule in the year 660 B.C. But this is one of the most extraordinary fabrications of all time. As a matter of fact, Japanese history does not begin to emerge from the darkness of myth and legend until about the fifth century A.D. That's amazing. Yes, and that story about Jimu Tenno is drilled into the children from the time they're born. Children? There is no other country in the world like our great empire of Japan, which has over it a line of emperors unbroken for ages eternal. From the time Emperor Jimu Tenno came down from heaven, our nation has had the imperial family as its center and we have flourished like a single great family. We who are born in such a precious country, who have over us such an august imperial family, must become splendid Japanese and do our utmost for our own empire. Is it not a great blessing, children, that we are born in such an exalted country? Somewhere along the line, Mr. McWade, the military came into the picture. Where was that? Well, for years one emperor followed another. But slowly the military was coming to power. And at last the military took over and the emperor became a puppet in the hands of the feudal lords. That's practically what happened today, isn't it? In a manner of speaking, yes. Well, the military are holding the reins. They held the reins then, too. And this went on for centuries. The emperor remained in obscurity in Kyoto while the shoguns ran the country. The emperors were in such reduced circumstances that there were times when they had to beg. This went on until the early 1700s. Then the Japanese scholars found out. Hundreds of years now we have lost sight of the fact that the emperor is the spiritual head of our nation. The shoguns have usurped the powers of the emperor. The shoguns have taken the divine height of the emperor. Why does the emperor remain in obscurity at Kyoto? He can do nothing else as long as the shogun is in power. Then we must get rid of the shogunate. Shogunate is strong. But the emperor is the direct son of the gods. But who will challenge the shogun? Another century and a half with the past before the sentiment in favor of restoring the emperor came to a head. Meantime, Commodore Perry had opened up Japan. But he came into direct conflict with the problem of the shogun and the emperor. And the shogun has not signed the treaty? No, sir. He has indicated that he must refer the treaty to the emperor at Kyoto before he can make a decision. The shogun has already agreed to sign the treaty. It was my understanding, Captain, that we were actually dealing with the emperor when we were dealing with the shogun. That was my understanding, Commodore Perry. Then if the shogun is acting for the emperor, if he has agreed to sign the treaty, why hasn't he signed it? Looks very much like a matter of bad faith, sir. Double dealing. How does the shogun explain this situation, Lieutenant? It seems that the government of the shogun does have certain powers, but that the emperor also has certain powers. And the matter of our treaty must be referred to the emperor. And actually the shogun is just a go-between. The shogun may be exercising powers that are not his. That may be, sir. In any case, it appears that the real power is that of the emperor. And he is the one we shall have to get... The Japanese knew, as well as the foreigners, that the dual rule of the shogun and the emperor was unsatisfactory. They knew also that for the good of Japan, it was a weakness in government. Then the old emperor died. A younger emperor took his place. And with him came revolutionary changes in Japan. Actual power was restored to the emperor in person. The new emperor, Mutsuhito, has taken Meiji for his reign title. Meiji and the rightful rule. And he is turning toward the outside world. There will be many changes. Yes, many, many changes. This was 1868, and all the world looked down. Japan had been closed to the western world for centuries. And now it was opened. Now it had a new emperor, dedicated to intercourse with the rest of the world. Observers watched the changes. The capital of Japan is being moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. For a thousand years and more, the emperors of Japan have lived in seclusion in Kyoto. Now they will live in one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world. And here's something even more important. What is it? It's a re-script issued by the new emperor. Listen. The worship of the gods and regard for ceremonies are the great proprieties of the empire. And the fundamental principles of national policy and education. Complete change of policy. Yes, and that's not all. Listen. On this occasion of the restoration of direct imperial rule, Tokyo has been made the new capital. And the emperor shall reside there in person. First of all, rituals shall be initiated. And the administration of law and order shall be established. Thus the way of the unity of religion and government shall be revived. Unity of religion and government. Now there's something for us to take note of. Modern Japan was born then and there. From this date, religion and government became one. And from this date, the Japanese moved toward bringing the entire world under their emperor. One of the first steps of the restored imperial government was the establishment of the Yasukuni Shrine. That's the shrine to the war dead, isn't it, Mr. McWade? Yes, they call it the nation protecting shrine. Here the spirits of the war dead come back to be enshrined. You mean the Japanese actually believe that the war dead come back? Yes. They assemble at the shrine in a solemn service. Then they are transferred to the inner sanctuary. And there with prayer and ceremony, they are at last deified. When you say deified, do you mean they become gods? It's a little different from that. They become guardian deities of the state. They watch over soldiers on the battlefield and over the destiny of Japan. And with the same devotion that inspired them to give their lives for their country. They believe that the dead soldiers become actual living spirits? If you were to ask a Japanese that, he'd tell you that... The warrior dead are not really dead. Any amount of argument to the contrary will be of no avail. It is futile to ask how the spirits of the soldiers who die in battle come back, and how they are invited to assemble in the compound of the Yasakuni shrine to be deified. They died for their country, and they live in the spirit world to be guardians of their families and the nation, instead of going to heaven. By giving their lives, they are exalted to the ranks of kami. And thereby they have become... You see, Carlton, no land is more truly a fatherland than Japan is to the Japanese. Yes, I see. The Japanese come back even after they're dead. Yes, and the shrines and festivals are used to promote the idea of the oneness of their religion and the state. I'm beginning to understand what they mean by that state Shinto. The emperor is the head of the state and the head of their religion. That's right. A number of times every year the emperor officiates as a Shinto high priest. For example, he officiates on February 11th in the observance of the religious festival of Empire Day, which commemorates the foundation of the empire. I've never seen such zeal as this. I've seen this order of procession for a good many years, and their fervor is just as great today as it ever was. I would think the populace would tire of these processions. Look at all those banners and flags. They've been coming here all day long. This day has great significance to the Japanese. This is the day that marks their beginning. And since the living emperor links them with their divine beginning, they come here to this open space before his palace to venerate him. It's unbelievable. People of all ages coming here all day long. Look at those children coming up here now. Yes, they start them young. Why, they're hardly more than infants. What are those costumes they're wearing? Those are the costumes of the samurai, the Japanese warriors of the Middle Ages. You see, they're wearing flat helmets and armor. Every one of them is carrying a miniature Japanese sword. It's frightening, the idea of beginning to make soldiers out of children that young. From the Japanese point of view, that's the logical time to inculcate the young male with the spirit of war. Are they going to go through the gestures of worship too? Oh, yes. Yes, they've been schooled in the ceremony. You see? Oh, you can see that they know what to do. Now watch them. Yes. Is that all they do? Just bow from the waist like that? That's all. It is very simple and very dignified. You see, they're moving quietly away now. But to go through all that ceremony and then just bow. That is everything. They have paid homage to the ancestors and to the souls of the dead. They have given public witness to their thanks for the benefits that have come down to them from the mysterious past. And they have renewed their pledge of allegiance to the emperor and the state. Japan's national psychology is the result of education, training in schools, festivals and ceremonies, of radio and the press. Every means of communication is used to convey it. Soldiers are imbued with it. Officers as well as men. Well, it's difficult to see how the soldiers are going to be treated. They are going to be treated in a way that is not only a way of life, but also a way of life that is not only a way of life. Soldiers are imbued with it. Officers as well as men. Well, it's difficult to see how a well-educated, intelligent person would believe that the emperor, who many have seen, is anything more than a human being. It's not so difficult, Carlton, when you realize the relation of the armed forces to the emperor. As General Sadao Araki said, The emperor embodies in himself the spirit of the deities of the universe, as well as the guiding spirit over government. His august virtues thus pervade both time and space, and he reigns over his people with the wrath and the plume of it. The spirit of the gods and the guiding spirit of the government, eh? Yes, and besides that, the army holds itself responsible only to the sacred throne. Not to the government, that is, not to the people? No. Whatever the army does to extend the power and the glory of Japan has theoretically the divinity of the emperor behind it. Yes, but does it actually? Is the emperor always behind the army? That would be difficult to say now. The mission of the armed forces is, they say, to bring all the peoples of the world under the rule of the emperor. And anything the armed forces do in this direction has theoretically his divine backing. But Hirohito is more given to peace than to war. Matter of fact, for his by name he chose Radiant Peace. Well, then if he is the boss of Japan, why did he permit- Why did he permit Japan to attack us? Yes. Is the army military more powerful now than the emperor? Perhaps. By 1936 the military was on the way to assuming power over all Japan. The army had taken Manchuria in 1932 and the more aggressive young army officers acted together to remove the elements which- It is our sacred duty to save the emperor from politicians who have such great influence over him. Those around him in the inner circle of the palace are swathing Japan from its august mission. The emperor's advisors must be removed, Takahashi and Saito, Okado and the rest of them. We will take the measures we have planned. Are you ready, Captain? Yes, sir. There are 22 of our officers and 1400 men. We will all strike at dawn. You and your detail, Captain, will go to the home of the Financier Minister. And I will account for Admo Saito and- The assassinations were carried out at dawn. Killed in cold blood were Finance Minister Kurokiu Takahashi, Admiral Makato Saito and General J Watanabe. The army extremists who carried out the assassinations are from the Tokyo garrison. Led by the young firebrands, they seized the official residence of the premier and the new parliament building. They are now occupying the center of Tokyo and the emperor has been put in the position of having to take action- They are holding all the strategic points in Tokyo. They have paralyzed the empire. What will the emperor do? They mutiny to save him from the evil influence of his advisors. The army? But the ones, they killed some of our British leaders. Yes, the army removed them for the good of Japan. But if the army forces its way on the emperor, it means that the army has more power than the emperor. Are you speaking of the young army officers? Yes. The emperor ordered them to surrender to royal troops. Have they surrendered? Yes, they have given themselves up for 1,400 men and 22 officers. But what of their sacrifice? The army did it to save the emperor from the politicians around him. But the war has collapsed. The incident is closed. The officers and troops have returned to their quarters. But the incident was not closed. Hirohito showed that the army was at cross purposes with his policies when he mentioned the mutiny in his subsequent formal address. And later still when he publicly informed his divine ancestors of the mutiny. In effect then, Hirohito slapped the army down, didn't he? Yes, but the military was already out of hand. The Japanese Guangdong army that had moved in and taken Manchuria became stronger and stronger and more and more independent. And the year after the mutiny, the Japanese attacked China at the Marco Polo Bridge. That's what's hard to understand. Wasn't Hirohito able to stop them? No, and when he learned of the outbreak of the war against China, he was shocked and horrified. But by that time, so far as the war was concerned, he'd become little more than a figurehead. The military had taken over completely. Hirohito lives in the Imperial Palace in the heart of downtown Tokyo. The palace is surrounded by walls and moats, and the grounds have beautiful lawns with ancient trees. The emperor and his empress occupy a small house, and here they live in seclusion. Hirohito was born in 1901. The name Hirohito is hardly ever heard. The Japanese call him Tenno Heika, which means his majesty, Lord of Heaven, or Tenshi-sama, which means son of heaven. He was married when he was 23 and was formally enthroned at Kyoto in 1928. With the sword and the mirror and the necklace of our sun goddess, Amaterasu Omikami, I invest you as emperor of Japan. And so it was that a year after Pearl Harbor, when the emperor became worried about Japan's position in the war, he went to the shrine of the sun goddess at Ise and there offered prayer. I am embarrassed by the sight of the imperial person. There he is, coming up to the shrine. I quake with emotion. My eyes are dazzled. Quiet, quiet. I almost fear to look at him, yet what joy it gives me, what joy. You must be quiet. My heart is pounding, my head is bowed, but I can see him walking this way. I can see up to his chest, but I dare not look upon his face. Quiet, quiet. The emperor has come here to Ise, to the shrine of the sun goddess, to offer prayers for the future safety of Japan. He is passing us, going into the shrine now. Yes. Yes. I shall pray silently with him. The emperor prayed long and fervently to the sun goddess, Samatarasu, to her who had sent down her grandson from heaven, to her to whom the Japanese believe all their emperors are related. Do you suppose, Mr. McWade, that this indicated that the emperor believed that perhaps his military had gotten Japan into a position where it might be destroyed by the United Nations? It's difficult to put it just that way, but the fact that he personally went to the shrine of the sun goddess shows his great concern, and shows that he's asking for help greater than he thinks the military has. Well, what did the military do about this? It had a very beneficial effect on the Japanese authorities who were running the war. The emperor had made a public gesture which had far-reaching meaning to all Japanese and to the world at large. This event brought the emperor into focus once more. It emphasized his attitude toward the war, and his attitude toward the military, which is waging it. World observers who know the relationship of the emperor to the Japanese discussed his visit to the shrine. The emperor now seems convinced that he needs help beyond the armed might of his military forces. This is the meaning behind his visit to the shrine of the sun goddess, Samatarasu Omikami, at Ita. He prayed to his imperial ancestors for the future safety of Japan. Yet, it is important to remember that only two years ago, before Pearl Harbor, the emperor's own minister of war said, Since the foundation of the Japanese empire, it has been the yearning of all Japanese to unite all of the races of the world into a happy society. We regard this as the great mission of the Japanese people. We strive also to clear away from the earth all injustice and inequality and to bring everlasting happiness to mankind. That would indicate that the army is determined to bring all the world under their emperor, but that the emperor is not quite sure they can do it. There's another angle to it, Carlton. The emperor is a man of peace. Can that be taken literally, Mr. McWade? You remember that he chose for his own name, Radiant Peace, and that's what he will be known as after his death. Well, if that is to be taken literally, I should judge that the emperor is now an unhappy person. That would be an American's appraisal of it. But if we're to understand the relationship of the emperor to the Japanese people, we must think of it as they think it. The two attributes of the emperor, sacredness and inviolability, are not only revealed by one unbroken line of ruras stretching back 2600 years, but also testified by historical evidence. One of these is the fact that the imperial family has no name, contrary to the southern houses of Europe. This is explained by the fact that whereas in other countries, rulers sprang from the people, our rulers in Japan come from heaven. Each of our rulers has been a divine descendant of the sun goddess, and each in turn has possessed the same three sacred treasures, the sword, the mirror, and the necklace. These three sacred treasures, which exist even today, have come down these 2600 years as the very symbol of the foundation of Japan by the great imperial ancestors, Amaterasu and Mekami. I see. Then the fact that these three sacred treasures exist today is taken as evidence by the Japanese that Hirohito is divine. That's right. He's a symbol. The emperor has some duties beyond being a symbol, doesn't he, Mr. McWade? Yes, he signs what he must sign. He says what he must say. He sets an example for the people of Japan. Then in a sense, he is hardly more than a figurehead of the forces that have risen to power in Japan. He is the instrument of whatever group holds power in Japan. Mr. McWade, what would happen if these forces within Japan were discredited? What if the military should use face? The emperor in a true sense is bigger than they are. Well, since the emperor is a puppet to these forces now, you think it's possible that he might be a puppet for a reform regime that would join hands with us later on? That might be possible. It might be. You have been listening to The Pacific Story, presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cross-currents of life in the Pacific Basin. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program, send ten cents in stamps or corn to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written and directed by Arnold Marquess. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Peluso. Your narrator, Gain Whitman. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the National Broadcasting Company.
