The Japanese Emperor Hirohito and his predecessors were regarded by their people as direct descendants of Shinto deities. As such, they were the objects of fanatical worship and devotion. In peacetime, such an attitude would be dangerous enough, but in wartime it proved to be catastrophic.

Although Hirohito was not officially responsible for the day-to-day running of the war, he was nonetheless generally supportive of Imperial Japan's war aims and his generals' conduct of the Japanese military campaign. Indeed, some historians have claimed that Hirohito was more actively involved in military planning and strategy than has traditionally thought to have been the case. Specifically, they argue that he was guilty of war crimes.

Whatever the truth of the matter, there can be little doubt that Hirohito inspired fanatical devotion and loyalty among Japanese troops and civilians alike. Japanese soldiers fought according to the ancient Bushido warrior code, which demands respect and obedience to one's superiors. As Hirohito was not just the superior of every Japanese soldier but a direct descendant of the gods, one can see why those trained in the old warrior code were so utterly devoted to the Emperor's every command. Until Hirohito formally declared Japan's surrender, then, his troops fought on, long after it became obvious that defeat was imminent.