This appointment would give Yonai a far stronger mandate than a routine return to office. By publicly recognizing him as an imperial adviser and naming him prime minister, Hirohito would identify Yonai as an authentic mouthpiece for the throne. That move could deprive rival factions of their claim that they alone represented imperial wishes. It would also be dangerous because visible imperial rule could provoke groups that supported the emperor only while they retained freedom to act in his name.
Chapter · 1:11:29-1:14:18
The counterfactual pivot: an openly imperial Yonai government
The proposed divergence has Hirohito explicitly recognize Yonai as an adviser and demand that he form a government in July 1941.