The Demise of the Last Emperor: its Influence on Japanese Society From a Thanatological Viewpoint

This article examines “junshi”, a Japanese practice in which subordinates took their own lives in order to follow their feudal lords into death. The death of Emperor Hirohito is used as illustration; 4 men took their lives after he died. Hirohito’s death is also used to discuss the public & private disclosure of a malignant illness. The article concludes with a section that discusses death with dignity. (14 refs)