The Shōwa emperor was not an eloquent man; he had never been socialized to be capable of even normal conversation. He was intelligent, but gave no hint of engaging in self-reflection. His education as heir apparent had been rigorous and inflexible, particularly so, perhaps, because his father, the Taishō emperor, was mentally incompetent. He rarely if ever conveyed self-doubt, but neither did he display overweening arrogance. He was scrupulously, almost compulsively, attentive to detail. There is no evidence that, prior to the defeat, “democracy” was of any genuinely serious interest to him
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