Before Queen Elizabeth, Hirohito was arguably the last monarch from a world power whose reign spanned over half a century of change to then pass away. I’ve read a few tidbits, such as how Disney Tokyo turned down music to mourn, stores mandating employees wearing black dress, etc., but I’d be curious to know more about the reactions, and maybe to compare and contrast with Britain right now.
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/xgm8gp/how_did_japan_react_to_the_passing_of_hirohito_in/
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With the obvious caveat that very few if any r/japan redditors were in Japan in 1989 to see it firsthand…
Unlike squeaky-clean Liz, Hirohito was a much more ambiguous figure. Many of Japan’s worst WW2 atrocities were committed in his name, although there’s still a lot of debate about how much he knew/approved of/could have done even if he had wanted to. The Imperial Family would likely have ceased to exist if Macarthur hadn’t wanted a figurehead, and it’s safe to say the average Japanese harbors no great love for the Imperial family.
TV became all somber classical music, resulting in the greatest slam on video stores that ever occurred in Japan.