The Japanese military engaged willfully in military and aggressive fighting that resulted in the destruction that occurred at Pearl Harbor (Prideaux 1). Despite this terrible attack and tragedy, the Japanese ruler Hirohito found himself engaged in a political union of sorts with the United States post World War II. .

             The U.S. and Japanese relationship has since involved into an elaborate and complex phenomena. During the period immediately following the war, both the Japanese government and the United States benefited by keeping Hirohito in power. This paper will explore the nature of these relationships and the political purposes a relationship with Japan's Hirohito served the United States in the post World War II period. .

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             How the Relationship Benefited Japan.

             Many have argued that Emperor Hirohito served only as a figurehead in the first half of the 20th century (Prideaux, 2005). Others have contested that Hirohito bore much "moral, legal and political responsibility" ensuing from his relationship with the U.S. in the period following World War II (Prideaux 1). Still others including the author of this paper assert that Emperor Hirohito's union with the United States helped Japan realize its full political and democratic potential (Prideaux 1). Realistically speaking, one must acknowledge that the purpose of the relationship between Hirohito and the United States following the war was multi-faceted, serving the interests of both the U.S. government and Japan.

             Without engaging in a relationship with the U.S., Hirohito would have suffered at the hands of the war crimes tribunal. During the time period immediately following World War II, the Tokyo war crimes tribunal indicted more than 28 leaders in Japan for crimes and violations against peace and the customs of war, including crimes that violated basic humanitarian rights (Prideaux 1). Hirohito would have been served the same punishment for the war crimes that included the Pearl Harbor attacks had he not engaged in a negotiation at the time with the U.