Ukraine says sorry to Japan for comparing Emperor Hirohito to Hitler on Twitter
- The tweet showing Japan’s wartime emperor alongside Hitler and Mussolini in a video about fascism came from an official Ukrainian government account
- It circulated widely over the weekend and prompted an official protest, as it threatened to alienate a country that has been strongly supportive of Ukraine
“Our sincere apologies to Japan for making this mistake,” read a message on the Ukrainian Twitter feed. “We had no intention to offend the friendly people of Japan.” An edited version of the video without Hirohito’s picture was appended to the post.
The tweet had circulated widely over the weekend and prompted an official protest from Japan. It also threatened to alienate some conservatives from the Ukrainian cause in a country that has been strongly supportive of President Volodymyr Zelensky since the Russian invasion began.
Japan fought World War II in the name of Hirohito, who was revered as a god until he renounced his divinity after Japan’s defeat. Historical evaluations of his role in the war remain divided. He is known posthumously in Japan as Emperor Showa.
Masahisa Sato, the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s foreign policy panel, said on Sunday that he had urged the Foreign Ministry to protest to the Ukrainian government. He later added on Twitter that the ministry appeared to have done so, and the “problematic” video was removed.