Emperor Page #3

MacArthur, like a fiddle.

MacArthur believes in honor.

And glory. His own,

of course, at your expense.

He wants to save Hirohito,

but he needs you to do it.

He doesn't need me.

He's the Supreme Commander.

He's much more

ambitious than that.

He wants to be the next President

of the United States.

What do you think

all those photographs are for?

Are you finished, General?

He doesn't want to ruin

his chances of being nominated,

and he knows Americans want to see

the Emperor's head on a stake.

Have you stopped to consider

what would happen

if the Emperor were to hang?

This whole occupation

could blow up on us.

It's not a decision

I'll lake lightly.

I agree. It's a quagmire,

but justice should be sewed.

Revenge is

not the same thing as justice.

You play it how you want, General,

but if MacArthur finds a way

to save Hirohito

and blame it on you,

he'll do it.

He has no guarantee

that I will exonerate the Emperor.

He knows you share

his phobia of Communists.

Ifs precisely why he chose you.

He also knows you have

an affinity for Japan...

and Japanese women.

Don't let him play you, General.

Ready, Higgins?

Over here, Eichelberger,

for your moment in the sun.

There we go.

- Very good, sir.

- Very good.

That went quite well, I think.

I'll be sure you all gel a copy.

Where to, sir?

That document I gave you

on the woman,

where is it?

Right here, sir.

Did you let anyone see it?

Of course not, sir.

Here it is.

No, that's all right, you keep it.

I need a drink.

I'll take you, sir.

Did you find out

anything else on her?

I have not been able

to contact her uncle.

But she was teaching

at a school near Shizuoka,

but the town was bombed.

Bombed? Shizuoka?

Yes.

Nine months ago.

That's impossible.

The damage was... extensive.

How far is it?

Three hours from here.

Let's go.

Hi.

Made you smile.

You worked late.

Yes.

While I waited,

I did some research

for this paper I have to write.

I learned a lot just walking

around your school.

How do you get your kids

to clean the grounds?

Keep the pressure.

The army is teaching kids

to hate foreigners.

Those pamphlets on the shelf,

they hand them out everywhere.

I hate what

it's doing to people.

Come.

Some of my students aren't

even allowed to study English anymore.

My class is so small now.

I am afraid, after all.

I'm afraid for...

their future.

I want to know

who survived this raid.

I would like a list.

I can get you a list

of the dead, sir.

Sir, these are the names we're

still trying to track down.

- Ready, Higgins?

- Yes, sir.

- Let's see, I think I'll stand here.

- Hold it.

All right. How do I look?

Very good, sir.

- Yeah.

- There you are, sir.

The baton is quite dramatic.

Very good, sir.

My uncle is a general.

He would be able to help you.

Come here.

Don't look at them.

Don't make eye contact.

I used to come here as a girl.

My uncle would tell me giants

lived in these mountains.

It's gonna be fine.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

Ah, Aya-Chan...

Welcome.

It's a pleasure.

Please, come in.

Follow me.

Your Japanese is very good.

So is your English.

You're surprised?

I sewed two years at the Japanese

embassy in Washington,

Military Attach.

Please sit down.

I'm sorry.

It fascinated me.

These are my sons.

Eiji, Akio.

What binds

you Americans together,

beyond the colors of your flag?

You see, Colonel,

you will never understand

complete devotion

to one set of values.

Your culture is much older

and deeply rooted,

and I hold it

in the highest regard.

And yet...

you are trying to undermine it

with your oil embargo.

We'll speak of that tomorrow.

Tonight, we drink more sake.

Please.

- Would you like...

- Yes.

My niece tells me

you are writing a paper

on the mind

of the Japanese soldier.

Yes.

You have much to learn.

Most of my books on the Japanese

army are in Japanese,

but some are in English,

French, and Russian.

You're welcome to read them.

The English ones are here.

If I may,

what role

does the Emperor play

in the mindset

of the Japanese soldier?

Above all else,

His Majesty is the reason

the Japanese soldier is superior

to the American soldier

in his sense of duty.

If we fight the United States,

we will win because

we follow his divine will.

I want to know

who amongst these men

works inside

the Imperial Palace.

These two, sir.

The most influential, I'd say,

Vice Minister Sekiya.

Call his office.

Ifs after 9:
00, General.

Call tonight.

Call first thing

in the morning.

Send a messenger,

and then call again.

Yes, sir.

General?

Yes, Fellers?

Here's what we got, sir.

Vice Minister Teizaburo Sekiya,

a high palace official.

Now, his office

is in the Palace.

I've reached out to him

through every official channel.

I know your order was

not to use weapons against the Palace.

My order is not to use weapons,

nor force of any kind.

There will be a time when the Emperor

will have to come to me,

and he will come to me.

We're talking

about the Vice Minister, sir.

I need access to him,

but I can't just walk in there.

The Imperial Guards are trained

to defend the grounds to the death.

Find another way.

I have, sir.

Request an extension

from Washington.

We are going to meet

their goddamn deadline,

and if you can't do it,

I'll find someone who can.

Then I require weapons, General.

I'll give you a weapon.

Prepare a letter

for my signature now.

Yes, sir.

"To the Imperial Household,

"as Supreme Commander

of all Allied forces,

"I order you to allow

Brigadier General Bonner Fellers

"to enter

the Imperial premises

"to meet with Vice Minister

Sekiya immediately.

Signed, Supreme Commander,

et cetera."

You may take

a small contingent

solely for your personal protection.

Now, go on.

Yes, sir.

Please, sir, you don't understand.

I understand.

General.

Sir.

This needs to be arranged,

General Fellers.

I'm going to arrange it

right now.

Tell him we are here

under the order

of the Supreme Commander,

General Douglas MacArthur.

I need to be in a room with

Vice Minister Sekiya in ten minutes.

Tell him!

MacArthur.

Just you. No weapons.

Wait here.

Yes, sir.

It would be very helpful

to see something

that reflects the Emperor's

state of mind

before and during the war.

His Majesty does not record

his personal feelings and memories.

Did he write any letters,

messages to military or political leaders

regarding the war?

This is my own private record

of a crucial

Imperial Council meeting

three months

before the war began.

The Emperor broke all precedent

by unexpectedly addressing

the ministers directly.

His Majesty recited a gyosei

written by his grandfather.

A tanka poem?

Yes.

It says, "It is our hope

"that all the world's oceans

be joined in peace.

"So why do the winds and waves

now rise up in an angry rage?"

That's not a strong vindication

of the Emperor, sir.

It was an extraordinary act

of courage

for His Majesty to recite it

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