Narratives of World War II in the Pacific

The Emperor's Retreat

William Quin

The Unresolved War: “The Emperor’s Retreat”

Japan’s culture, during WWII, was not one which praised surrender. Soldiers, upon deployment, were expected to either return home victorious or die in battle. Bushido ethics remained prevalent within the country and the samurai mentality experienced a resurgence. “Some Japanese soldiers considered surrender a way of courting death, therefore contrary to the Bushido code.”[1] These societal norms, paired with the righteousness of a sacrificing one’s life for the Emperor, led to unfathomable levels of commitment to victory. The Japanese fought and lost the battles of Midway, Okinawa and Marianas. They were forced out of New Guinea and continued to lose territory in Southeast Asia. Incessant fire-bombing resulted in the destruction of Tokyo and many other Japanese cities. With the defeat of Germany ,Tri-Partite ally to Japan, the chances of preventing a mainland invasion by the American military were rapidly decreasing.

Japan was dedicated to retaining their dominance of the region and gaining international respect for the Japanese Empire. Rather than attempting to concede their position and broker a surrender, Japan began to “dig in” and prepare plans to retreat to defendable and secure locations around the country. One of these locations, which was designed to house the Emperor and Japanese military officials, is located in Matsushiro. “These underground shelters, unprecedented in their gigantic size, were prepared in expectation of an impending U.S. landing the main islands of Japan.”[2] These tunnels were constructed by utilizing forced laborers from Korea.

Wartime conditions and subsequent Japanese occupation wreaked havoc on Korea. Japan confiscated and utilized much of the Korean national resources during this time. This resulted in a failed economy and famine like conditions for many Koreans. Many of these Korean citizens either fled to Japan on their own accord or were forcibly taken there in order to work. Upon arrival, these Koreans typically learned that they would indeed work but without pay. Around 7,000 of these Korean Laborers were forced to construct an intricate labyrinth of tunnels, many large enough to drive a military vehicle through. These tunnels were built to house the Japanese officials and Emperor in the event of an American invasion. The effort put into this stronghold insinuates that the Japanese were not planning on negotiating a surrender. 

To determine the hypothetical success or failure of this plan to defend against military defeat, one must determine whether or not they would have been able to defeat an American invasion and prevent further military intervention from Allied forces. I believe that this plan would never have succeeded. Prior to the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Russia declared war on Japan. The combination of a Russian invasion in the northwest and an American invasion in the southeast would have absolutely crippled the supply lines of the Japanese military and crushed their defensive forces. It would not have been a swift victory and many lives would have been lost on all sides. When one takes into account the effect that the atomic bombs had on the resolve of the Japanese. “In the book Hiroshima, by John Hersey, he writes that nearly 200,000 out of the 250,000 residents of Hiroshima were either killed or injured. It is reasonable to assume that continued use of these bombs would have pounded the Japanese forces into submission and forced the Emperor to concede.

The Japanese surrender, after Nagasaki and Hiroshima and were bombed, has resulted in an unresolved war; a war fought by Japanese soldiers and civilians in both public and private spheres. The betrayal of the Bushido Complex, the failure of Japan to establish a great empire and assert its equality amongst western nations, and the massive lack of execution in successfully making the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere operational, all perpetuate this war. How could this situation have played out differently? Would Japan have retained its unwillingness to surrender had the U.S. not developed atomic bombs? Is the Emperor to blame, or were the military officials responsible? Another aspect of the unresolved war is the fact that the citizens of Matsushiro live with a visual reminder, literally carved into the mountains, of the atrocities that occurred during this era. “All wars are fought twice, the first  time on the battlefield, the second time in Memory.”[3]

Many historians debate over the sovereignty of Emperor Hirohito’s command during WWII. The Japanese military was often steadfast in its commitment to victory at any cost. The Bushido Complex was intricately woven and heavy indoctrination of nationalistic views had created a Japanese military which was almost incapable of imaging defeat. This caused prior negotiations such as those around The Potsdam Declaration to reach inevitable stalemates. “Even then, he refused to confront the army until Hiroshima and, at least as crucially, Soviet entry into the war closed off all hope of a negotiated surrender (via Moscow's good offices) with the Americans. With these two cataclysms, the best chance to preserve the imperial institution had become a divorce from the army and an appeal to Washington based on claims that the emperor had been informed of but not involved in the policy process, and would be useful in keeping army fanaticism.”[4] I believe that the Japanese Empire succeeded in creating such a strong nationalistic military complex that they were incapable of reigning it in upon realizations of defeat. This, combined with constant embellishments of Japanese officials’ battlefield updates diluted the reality of Japan’s defeat. I assert that Emperor Hirohito was primarily focused on retaining his position and saving face for the Japanese Empire. His military wanted victory or death, he wanted Victory or respect and recognition. This disconnect led to the Japanese surrendering the way they did and served to perpetuate the unresolved wars faced by East-Asian countries today.

Cross-section of military tunnels in Masushiro, Japan

Oral History Summary

Section 22 of Part 6 in, The Unresolved War, by Yamane Masako explores and discusses the enslavement of 7,000 Korean emigrants for the purpose pf constructing and infrastructure to accommodate “the Emperor’s retreat”. Yamane brings light to the construction process of these subterranean tunnels located in Matsushiro, a small town near Nagano, Japan. Ground was broken on the tunnel project in November of 1944 and did not cease until late August of 1945, after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This elaborate system of tunnels was put into place, “… planning to move the imperial Japanese headquarters and the government ministries to this location as the position for the final battle.” Masako searches to discover why the Koreans were enslaved and uncover the Japanese Military’s plan for retreat in the event of an American invasion. Would their retreat have been successful?