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sound: U.S. nrewsreel  (155K)-6 sec.
visiting
photo: Hirohito visits the people (34K)

Image: After the defeat Hirohito had claimed he was not a god, but a mortal, a mere man. He changed out of his military uniform and into civilian clothing, and replaced his stern, unsmiling, god-like image with that of a humble, smiling grandfather figure. He and his wife Nagako set off on a unprecedented tour to visit the Japanese people in cities and villages, to meet them face to face, to shake their hands. After the initial shock of hearing Hirohito claim he was not a god, many Japanese cheerfully accepted his new image and continued to venerate him, formally bowing to him as they had always done. He now returned their bows and smiles. Until his death, some Japanese remained vocal critics of Emperor and continued to point out his responsibility for Japan's defeat and for brutal war crimes committed in his name.

Sound:
A Universal News Reel story from the U.S. (1946) cheerfully describes that Hirohito is now "very much a man". The background music you hear is characteristic of soundtracks composed to accompany U.S. newsreels, WWII anti-Japanese propoganda, and instuctional films for the WWII armed forces of the USA.. (credit: National Archives, USA) --Load time: ~6 sec.
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(c) 1999 John Borneman & Linda Fisher, All Rights Reserved