April 29, 1901 - Emperor Hirohito
His reign encompassed Japan's imperial expansion across Asia, the atrocities committed by Japanese forces during World War II, and the use of biological and chemical weapons — making the scope of harm carried out under his authority among the most consequential of the twentieth century. The precise nature of his personal involvement in wartime decision-making has been a subject of sustained historical debate, shaped in part by postwar decisions to preserve the imperial institution. He was ultimately shielded from prosecution at the Tokyo Trials, a political calculation that allowed him to reign for another four decades.
From Wikipedia
Hirohito (29 April 1901 – 7 January 1989), also known by his posthumous name Emperor Shōwa, was Emperor of Japan from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. He is the longest-reigning non-legendary emperor in Japanese history and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the world. The Shōwa era that corresponded to his reign was initially characterized by heightened Japanese nationalism and militarism, developments which culminated in Japan's entry into World War II as an Axis power. After Japan's defeat in the war and under pressure from the victorious Allied powers, he renounced his divinity as Emperor via the Humanity Declaration and sanctioned a new Constitution for Japan based on parliamentary government and pacifism.
Hirohito was born during the reign of his paternal grandfather, Emperor Meiji, as the first child of Crown Prince Yoshihito and Crown Princess Sadako (later Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei). When Emperor Meiji died in 1912, Hirohito's father ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne, and Hirohito was proclaimed Crown Prince of Japan in 1916, making him the heir apparent. In 1921, he made an official visit to six European countries, marking the first time a Japanese crown prince had traveled abroad. Due to his father's ill health, Hirohito became Sesshō of Japan (regent) that same year.
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