Len, you are creepy sometimes. Literate, intense, and very dedicated to your cause, but creepy.
It is accepted history that, prior to and during WWII, the Japanese people revered the emperor as a humanized deity. A godhead. On a strictly technical level the emperor had social and political power commiserate with his status and station.
In reality, however, the Japanese military was calling the shots, often using the emperor as a puppet in order to keep social order with the general populace. In other words the military ran the show. They hid behind the emperor, pulling his strings as needed to keep the Japanese people on their side. The military wasn't about to give up, give in, or give anything, for that matter. They were, by all accounts, prepared to fight to the death, using the general populace as buffer and shield if needed.
You want quotes? Study history like I did. It's full of them.
Brad