Emperor Page #2

the Emperor for war crimes.

The key players will go here.

We're dividing it

into three categories:

The military on this side,

Imperial staff,

and politicians.

Sir, the information you asked for.

All right.

We will detain and interrogate

as many as we can find.

Ma'am, do you speak English?

Tracking them down won't be easy.

Having a street address

is not much use

when whole streets

have disappeared

off the face of the Earth.

I don't anticipate

too much cooperation.

So these are the top

military commanders.

We now have 32 names.

These were the people that were

with the Emperor when the war started.

There's not enough time

to investigate them all.

There's no other way

to know which of them

might have critical information, sir.

None of our Japanese

so-called friends

are in the mix,

so they can't help us.

If our friends can't help us,

let's try our enemies.

They'll never turn

on their buddies, sir.

They have no incentive.

They might if it means

saving their Emperor.

Tojo was hand-picked by the Emperor

to be Prime Minister.

The order to attack Pearl Harbor

came from his office.

Following

his attempted suicide,

he is being held

at Sugamo Prison,

awaiting trial for war crimes.

Our medics are keeping him alive

long enough to face execution.

You are going to hang,

Mr. Prime Minister.

Do you want the Emperor

to have the same fate?

I need three names.

Konoe.

That'll be all. Thank you.

General Fellers, sir.

Not now, Rogers.

Fumimaro Konoe.

Fumimaro Konoe was

replaced as Prime Minister

right before the war started.

There must have been

a good reason.

Set up a meeting.

Yes, sir.

How influential is his family?

Very.

So he'll consider suicide?

Yes, sir.

No need.

I'm surprised I wasn't arrested

with Tojo and the others.

Your name was on the list.

I removed it, for now.

You know the Emperor well.

As well as anyone

can know His Majesty.

Was he against the war?

His Majesty is against all wars.

He is a pacifist by nature,

very gentle.

Yet he gave permission

for Pearl Harbor.

When Tojo

and the militarists took power,

His Majesty was drawn in.

It was a national delusion.

Could he have stopped it'?

I don't know.

I was removed

from power by then.

Why?

Three months before Pearl Harbor,

I opened a secret channel

to President Roosevelt.

I said I would meet him anywhere

to find a way to avoid a conflict.

We still could have stopped it,

but it was not in the interest

of the militarists.

So he does bear responsibility

for starting the war?

It's not

a black and white issue, General.

Millions of people died in his name.

Your skies were filled

with kamikazes.

Atrocities were committed every day

as he expanded his empire,

invading, conquering, decimating.

You incinerated two of our cities,

turning our children

into shadows on the walls.

We are both guilty.

Yes, we seized territory in China,

but did not Great Britain,

even Portugal, precede us?

Yes, we took Singapore

and the Malaya,

but we took it from the British.

We did not take the Philippines

from the Filipinos,

but from the Americans,

who themselves took it

from the Spanish.

If it is an international crime

to take territory by force,

who convicted the British, French,

Dutch, and American leaders?

Nobody.

And what is different with Japan'?

Nothing.

You see, General, we are

simply following your fine example.

I don't need a history lesson,

Your Excellency.

The only thing I know

for certain is,

during the war,

there was a fever over Japan.

I was part of that fever.

I cannot give you

what you want, General.

Then who can?

You must speak with Kido.

Koichi Kido,

Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal,

the Emperor's closest adviser

behind the high walls

of the Imperial Palace,

at Hirohito's side constantly

from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima.

We contacted his entourage,

and he has accepted my invitation

to meet at a discreet location,

well away from our headquarters.

Evening, ma'am.

I'm hereto pick up Aya.

Avis not here.

We were supposed to meet.

Do you know where she is?

Aya went back to Japan

this morning.

What?

Did she leave a note?

No.

He's not going to show, is he?

No, sir.

He's afraid he'll get arrested.

You send him

a message from me.

When he sees his Emperor

hanging from the end of a rope,

it was Kids that hanged him.

Yes, Mr. President.

No, I think you've hit the mark,

Mr. President.

Certainly.

And thank you, sir.

You lying son of a b*tch.

Well?

We're still looking for Kido, sir.

God damn it, Fellers,

if Kido is the key

to this investigation,

I don't care

what you have to do.

Perform a miracle if you must,

but do not come back

to this office

unless you are dragging him

by the balls.

Clear?

Yes, sir.

Hell, he even wore a naval uniform

that day, sir.

I don't see

what else you need.

He might have known about it,

might have even signed

his name to it,

but did he want to start it

and could he

really have stopped it?

He's the Emperor, sir.

He could do whatever he wanted.

It might seem that way

on the surface,

but this is

a nation of contradictions.

I guess they escape me.

Does seem pretty

cut and dried, sir.

We need to focus

on the stepping-stone meetings

that led Japan to war.

Who were the key players

and how close

to the Emperor were they?

It is an intricate web of power

surrounding the Emperor.

The Chrysanthemum Throne

is a mystery,

even unto itself.

If I find the Emperor guilty,

Washington will be delighted.

They want him to pay

the ultimate price.

Who is this man, really?

Could he have stopped

Japan going to war,

even if he wanted to?

Konoe is right.

Nothing in Japan

is ever black and white.

There are a million shades of gray.

Hi, mister.

Aya, I hope you don't mind me

showing up like this unannounced,

but I was sewing duty

in the Philippines,

and I got an assignment

to come to Japan.

Since I was nowhere near

the neighborhood, I thought...

Please, go away.

Aya, I sent you so many letters,

none of which you returned.

You shouldn't have come.

Good morning.

Shimada Sensei...

They are going to call the police.

May I walk with you a little bit?

My father made me promise

one thing,

that I would never

marry an American.

When he became ill,

I came back to Japan.

He passed away.

I'm sorry.

You look as beautiful

as the first time we ever met.

Gentlemen, we won't be

dining on steak tonight.

This country is starving,

and if word got out

that we were feasting,

we would lose

our moral authority,

and, of course, moral authority

is what we need the most.

Ah, it looks

as if our dinner is ready.

Courage, men.

I intend to make Japan

the world's greatest experiment

in the liberation

of a people from military rule.

How is your investigation

coming, General?

Fine.

I hear you're working

round the clock...

you and all the other

top Japan experts.

Excuse me for a moment,

gentlemen.

You know, he's playing you, General.

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