The Taisho emperor (personal name Yoshihito, 1879-1926) reigned from 1912 to 1926. He was not a healthy man, there is some evidence of slight mental and physical handicaps. Accordingly, the emperor’s son who would become the Showa emperor acted as his regent from November 1921. The Taisho emperor and period lacked the positive personality and energy of his father, the Meiji emperor, and the Meiji period. Still, Japan achieved high economic growth and became a primary regional power during his lifetime.
Written by Thomas A. Stanley and R.T.A. Irving.
