The conflict between Hirohito’s divine and secular roles became most acute in the autumn of 1941, when Japan’s leaders debated whether to go to war with the United States and its allies. On September 6, an imperial conference was convened to approve a timetable for war mobilization in the event of a breakdown in US-Japanese diplomatic talks.
裕仁神权和世俗角色之间的冲突在1941年秋天最为尖锐。当时日本领导人就是否要和美国及其盟国开战的问题展开争论。9月6日召开了帝国会议，批准了美日外交谈判失败情况下的战争动员时间表。与所有帝国会议一样，裕仁被认为会保持沉默，批准形成决定的政策。