Esteban — 9 months ago(July 03, 2025 03:30 AM)

This is a picture of Emperor Hirohito and General MacArthur meeting on the 29th of September, 1945, after Japan surrendered at the conclusion of World War 2. At the time, the United States led the Allies in the occupation and rehabilitation of the Japanese state.
Emperor Hirohito was a living god to the Japanese, and MacArthur found that ruling via the Emperor made his job in running Japan much easier than it otherwise would have been. Therefore, this picture was taken to show the Japanese that MacArthur had more power than Akihito.
MacArthur is much taller and more muscular than Hirohito. Moreover, MacArthur seems relaxed, putting his hands on his waist and standing with his feet shoulder-width. On the other hand, Akihito looks anxious, standing straight and wearing a suit.
What is most important here is the standing position. From the Japanese traditional perspective, men always stand to the right of women
However, in this picture, Hirohito is to the left of MacArthur. It signifies nonverbally that MacArthur is more powerful than Hirohito.