Shōwa era
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The Shōwa era was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the Taishō era and succeeded by the Heisei era.
The pre-1945 and post-war Shōwa periods are almost completely different states: the pre-1945 Shōwa era (1926–1945) concerns the Empire of Japan, and post-1945 Shōwa era (1945–1989) concerns the State of Japan.
Emperor Shōwa (1928)
The National Diet Building, where both houses of the Imperial Diet of Japan meet, was completed in early Shōwa era (1936).
Japanese Emperor Hirohito as head of the Imperial General Headquarters on April 29, 1943
Prime Minister Hideki Tojo (right) and Nobusuke Kishi, October 1943
Hirohito
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Hirohito, posthumously honored as Emperor Shōwa, was the 124th emperor of Japan, reigning from 1926 until his death in 1989. He was one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the world, with his reign of 62 years being the longest of any Japanese emperor.
Formal portrait, 1935
Hirohito in 1902 as an infant
Emperor Taishō's four sons in 1921: Hirohito, Takahito, Nobuhito and Yasuhito
The Crown Prince watches a boat race at Oxford University in the UK in 1921.