Hirohito ascended to the throne of the Emperor of Japan in 1926, by which point the role lacked much political power, persisting more as symbolic position whose occupant the Japanese people revered as a living god. While regularly attending cabinet meetings, Hirohito, as was customary for the emperor, refrained from contributing to debates or discussions. But the policies, proclamations, and orders that came out of such meetings required his imperial approval, including the seizure of Manchuria in 1931, the invasion of China in 1937, and the ill-fated declaration of war on the United States in December 1941.