After arresting Tojo, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur, informs Fellers that Emperor Hirohito is being shielded from war crimes trials, despite the American people wanting him to answer for Japan's actions.

Prosecuting him could lead to a revolt, so MacArthur gives Fellers ten days to investigate the Emperor to decide the occupation force's next steps.

Fellers and his staff compile a list of high-profile Japanese officials who advised Emperor Hirohito at the start of the war.

Finding no American collaborators among them, they start by interrogating Tojo, who gives them the name of Fumimaro Konoe, the former prime minister.

Fellers recalls his 1940 visit to Tokyo when he reunited with Aya, then an English teacher; she returned to Japan after her father's death.

When Fellers returns to Tokyo, he decides he must interview Teizaburō Sekiya, a member of the Privy Council, who, like all others, gives no evidence to exonerate the Emperor.

Scenes used were shot on location at RNZAF Base Whenuapai and some Air Force personnel used as extras for the movie.

The website's consensus reads: "Despite a typically strong performance from Tommy Lee Jones, Emperor does little with its fascinating historical palate, and is instead bogged down in a clichéd romantic subplot.