The Imperial Japanese Navy's orders to destroy wartime documents and items associated with Emperor Hirohito following the country's 1945 surrender have been unearthed in Britain.

The discovery at the National Archives in London is significant because it is probably the first time precise details of the instructions from Japan's navy have been revealed because as well as burning all the documentation and Imperial connections, military personnel were told to destroy the actual orders telling them to do so, said Hirofumi Hayashi, a professor of Japanese history at Kanto Gakuin University who discovered the documents.

The find is also important because it is thought to be the first time orders relating to the disposal of Imperial items have been found, experts said. This suggests the navy wanted to protect the emperor from prosecution for war crimes, academics said.