Eli5: Why is the Japanese emperor an emperor if Japan is not an empire and doesn’t have a king or multiple Kings below him?
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history. Japan at one point had feuding states and multiple different lords and clans. there was allegiance paid by these clans to the emperor, as well as feuds over lines of succession and ruling families. additionally, the emperor’s power comes from their connection to the God’s, so their right to head the govt at that time connected to those godly origins. the word used for emperor reflects those origins. remember, the use of the word emperor doesn’t mean an exact analogue to the english meaning of the word. it’s just the closest thing, really. additionally, Japan WAS an empire in Asia in the early half of the 20th century. it was Imperial Japan at that time in the modern era, and the emperor as we know him now is a remnant of that time. that the imperial family continued was part of the negotiated settlement if WWII.
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