How in 1945 the American Brigadier General Bonner Fellers was instrumental in saving the Japanese Emperor Hirohito from execution as a war criminal
We all know that, after its defeat in World War Two, the Japanese were allowed to retain their emperor, although merely in a ceremonial role and without his previous god-like status. But who made the decision and why?
Although the decision was made by General Douglas MacArthur on pragmatic grounds, a key role was played by a little-known American soldier called Brigadier General Bonner Fellers whose story has been told in the recent film “Emperor” which I saw a few days ago. You can read my review here.
The shots in the film of the Imperial Palace Gardens in Tokyo reminded me of my visit to Japan in 1998.