Should Hiroshito have been allowed to avoid war crimes prosecution?

Hirohito lost all governing powers after Japan's surrender, but MacArthur and others felt he was a necessary symbol to keep around so that Japan could recover from the war and be restored as a U.S. ally. Yet, the book establishes that he was responsible for many of the war crimes Japan committed, leading to the question of whether his guilt outweighed his usefulness, and whether he was that useful to begin with.