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  • Japan
    1945
    Chinese Civil War

    Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation

    Japan
    1945

    In the last month of World War II in East Asia, Soviet forces launched the huge Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation to attack the Japanese 2 million strong Kwantung Army in Manchuria and along the Chinese-Mongolian border.




  • Tokyo, Japan
    1945
    Hirohito

    Emperor Hirohito began a series of individual meetings to consider the progress of the war

    Tokyo, Japan
    1945

    In early 1945, in the wake of the losses in Battle of Leyte, Emperor Hirohito began a series of individual meetings with senior government officials to consider the progress of the war. All but ex-Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe advised continuing the war. Konoe feared a communist revolution even more than defeat in war and urged a negotiated surrender.




  • Tokyo, Japan
    1945
    Hirohito

    The Cabinet had agreed on a Negotiated Surrender

    Tokyo, Japan
    1945

    By mid-June 1945 the cabinet had agreed to approach the Soviet Union to act as a mediator for a negotiated surrender but not before Japan's bargaining position had been improved by repulse of the anticipated Allied invasion of mainland Japan.




  • Tokyo, Japan
    Feb, 1945
    Hirohito

    The First Private audience with The Emperor

    Tokyo, Japan
    Feb, 1945

    In February 1945 during the first private audience with the Emperor which he had been allowed in three years, Konoe advised Hirohito to begin negotiations to end the war.




  • Tokyo, Japan
    Thursday Mar 8, 1945
    World War II

    Bombing of Tokyo

    Tokyo, Japan
    Thursday Mar 8, 1945

    A devastating bombing raid on Tokyo of 9–10 March was the deadliest conventional bombing raid in history.




  • Japan
    Wednesday Apr 18, 1945
    World War II

    Air raids on Japan

    Japan
    Wednesday Apr 18, 1945

    United States Army Air Forces launched a massive firebombing campaign of strategic cities in Japan in an effort to destroy Japanese war industry and civilian morale.




  • Okinawa, Japan
    Sunday May 6, 1945
    Desmond Doss: Hacksaw Ridge

    One more

    Okinawa, Japan
    Sunday May 6, 1945

    Doss said frequently after saving a wounded soldier: "help me get one more". This phrase motivated him to keep searching for soldiers.


  • Okinawa, Japan
    Monday May 21, 1945
    Desmond Doss: Hacksaw Ridge

    Being Wounded

    Okinawa, Japan
    Monday May 21, 1945

    Doss was wounded four times in Okinawa and was evacuated on May 21, 1945, aboard the USS Mercy. Doss suffered a left arm fracture from a sniper's bullet and at one point had seventeen pieces of shrapnel embedded in his body. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Okinawa.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Jun, 1945
    Hirohito

    The Cabinet decided a fight to the last man

    Tokyo, Japan
    Jun, 1945

    In June the cabinet reassessed the war strategy, only to decide more firmly than ever on a fight to the last man. This strategy was officially affirmed at a brief Imperial Council meeting, at which, as was normal, the Emperor did not speak.


  • Japan
    Monday Aug 6, 1945
    World War II

    Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    Japan
    Monday Aug 6, 1945

    The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945.


  • Japan
    Thursday Aug 9, 1945
    Korean War

    Soviet Union declared war on Japan

    Japan
    Thursday Aug 9, 1945

    Soviet Union declared war on Japan on 9 August 1945, three days after the USA atomic bombing of Hiroshima.


  • Nagasaki, Japan
    Thursday Aug 9, 1945
    Atomic Bomb

    The Second Time To Use Nuclear Weapons In War

    Nagasaki, Japan
    Thursday Aug 9, 1945

    On August 9, the U.S. Army Air Forces detonated a plutonium implosion-type fission bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" over the Japanese city of Nagasaki.


  • Japan
    Friday Aug 10, 1945
    Harry S. Truman

    Japan agreed to surrender

    Japan
    Friday Aug 10, 1945

    Japan agreed to surrender the following day.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Friday Aug 10, 1945
    Hirohito

    The Cabinet drafted an "Imperial Rescript Ending The War"

    Tokyo, Japan
    Friday Aug 10, 1945

    Everything changed after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war. And on August 10, the cabinet drafted an "Imperial Rescript ending the War" following the Emperor's indications that the declaration did not compromise any demand which prejudiced the prerogatives of His Majesty as a Sovereign Ruler.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Sunday Aug 12, 1945
    Hirohito

    The Emperor informed the imperial family of his decision to surrender

    Tokyo, Japan
    Sunday Aug 12, 1945

    On August 12, 1945, the Emperor informed the imperial family of his decision to surrender. One of his uncles, Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, asked whether the war would be continued if the kokutai (national polity) could not be preserved. The Emperor simply replied "Of course."


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Tuesday Aug 14, 1945
    Hirohito

    Accepting the Potsdam Declaration

    Tokyo, Japan
    Tuesday Aug 14, 1945

    On August 14 the Suzuki government notified the Allies that it had accepted the Potsdam Declaration.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Tuesday Aug 14, 1945
    Hirohito

    The Kyūjō Incident

    Tokyo, Japan
    Tuesday Aug 14, 1945

    A faction of the army opposed to the surrender attempted a coup d'état on the evening of 14 August, prior to the broadcast. They seized the Imperial Palace (the Kyūjō incident), but the physical recording of the emperor's speech was hidden and preserved overnight. The coup was crushed by the next morning, and the speech was broadcast.


  • Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945
    Second Sino-Japanese War

    Japanese Emperor Hirohito capitulated to the Allies

    Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945

    In less than two weeks the Kwantung Army, which was the primary Japanese fighting force,consisting of over a million men but lacking in adequate armor, artillery, or air support, had been destroyed by the Soviets. Japanese Emperor Hirohito officially capitulated to the Allies on August 15, 1945.


  • Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945
    World War II

    Japan surrendered

    Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945

    In addition to the bombing of the two bombings, the Soviets, pursuant to the Yalta agreement, invaded Japanese-held Manchuria and quickly defeated the Kwantung Army, which was the largest Japanese fighting force, These two events persuaded previously adamant Imperial Army leaders to accept surrender terms. The Red Army also captured the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands. On 15 August 1945, Japan surrendered.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945
    Hirohito

    Broadcast the recording of the Emperor's Surrender Speech

    Tokyo, Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945

    On August 15 a recording of the Emperor's surrender speech ("Gyokuon-hōsō", literally "Jewel Voice Broadcast") was broadcast over the radio (the first time the Emperor was heard on the radio by the Japanese people) announcing Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. During the historic broadcast, the Emperor stated: "Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization.


  • USS Missouri, Japan
    Sunday Sep 2, 1945
    Second Sino-Japanese War

    Signing The official Surrender

    USS Missouri, Japan
    Sunday Sep 2, 1945

    The official surrender was signed aboard the battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, in a ceremony where several Allied commanders including Chinese general Hsu Yung-chang were present.


  • Tokyo Bay, Japan
    Sunday Sep 2, 1945
    World War II

    The End of the war

    Tokyo Bay, Japan
    Sunday Sep 2, 1945

    With the surrender documents finally signed at Tokyo Bay on the deck of the American battleship USS Missouri on 2 September 1945, ending the war.


  • Japan
    1945
    Chinese Civil War

    Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation

    Japan
    1945

    In the last month of World War II in East Asia, Soviet forces launched the huge Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation to attack the Japanese 2 million strong Kwantung Army in Manchuria and along the Chinese-Mongolian border.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    1945
    Hirohito

    Emperor Hirohito began a series of individual meetings to consider the progress of the war

    Tokyo, Japan
    1945

    In early 1945, in the wake of the losses in Battle of Leyte, Emperor Hirohito began a series of individual meetings with senior government officials to consider the progress of the war. All but ex-Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe advised continuing the war. Konoe feared a communist revolution even more than defeat in war and urged a negotiated surrender.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    1945
    Hirohito

    The Cabinet had agreed on a Negotiated Surrender

    Tokyo, Japan
    1945

    By mid-June 1945 the cabinet had agreed to approach the Soviet Union to act as a mediator for a negotiated surrender but not before Japan's bargaining position had been improved by repulse of the anticipated Allied invasion of mainland Japan.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Feb, 1945
    Hirohito

    The First Private audience with The Emperor

    Tokyo, Japan
    Feb, 1945

    In February 1945 during the first private audience with the Emperor which he had been allowed in three years, Konoe advised Hirohito to begin negotiations to end the war.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Thursday Mar 8, 1945
    World War II

    Bombing of Tokyo

    Tokyo, Japan
    Thursday Mar 8, 1945

    A devastating bombing raid on Tokyo of 9–10 March was the deadliest conventional bombing raid in history.


  • Japan
    Wednesday Apr 18, 1945
    World War II

    Air raids on Japan

    Japan
    Wednesday Apr 18, 1945

    United States Army Air Forces launched a massive firebombing campaign of strategic cities in Japan in an effort to destroy Japanese war industry and civilian morale.


  • Okinawa, Japan
    Sunday May 6, 1945
    Desmond Doss: Hacksaw Ridge

    One more

    Okinawa, Japan
    Sunday May 6, 1945

    Doss said frequently after saving a wounded soldier: "help me get one more". This phrase motivated him to keep searching for soldiers.


  • Okinawa, Japan
    Monday May 21, 1945
    Desmond Doss: Hacksaw Ridge

    Being Wounded

    Okinawa, Japan
    Monday May 21, 1945

    Doss was wounded four times in Okinawa and was evacuated on May 21, 1945, aboard the USS Mercy. Doss suffered a left arm fracture from a sniper's bullet and at one point had seventeen pieces of shrapnel embedded in his body. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Okinawa.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Jun, 1945
    Hirohito

    The Cabinet decided a fight to the last man

    Tokyo, Japan
    Jun, 1945

    In June the cabinet reassessed the war strategy, only to decide more firmly than ever on a fight to the last man. This strategy was officially affirmed at a brief Imperial Council meeting, at which, as was normal, the Emperor did not speak.


  • Japan
    Monday Aug 6, 1945
    World War II

    Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    Japan
    Monday Aug 6, 1945

    The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945.


  • Japan
    Thursday Aug 9, 1945
    Korean War

    Soviet Union declared war on Japan

    Japan
    Thursday Aug 9, 1945

    Soviet Union declared war on Japan on 9 August 1945, three days after the USA atomic bombing of Hiroshima.


  • Nagasaki, Japan
    Thursday Aug 9, 1945
    Atomic Bomb

    The Second Time To Use Nuclear Weapons In War

    Nagasaki, Japan
    Thursday Aug 9, 1945

    On August 9, the U.S. Army Air Forces detonated a plutonium implosion-type fission bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" over the Japanese city of Nagasaki.


  • Japan
    Friday Aug 10, 1945
    Harry S. Truman

    Japan agreed to surrender

    Japan
    Friday Aug 10, 1945

    Japan agreed to surrender the following day.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Friday Aug 10, 1945
    Hirohito

    The Cabinet drafted an "Imperial Rescript Ending The War"

    Tokyo, Japan
    Friday Aug 10, 1945

    Everything changed after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war. And on August 10, the cabinet drafted an "Imperial Rescript ending the War" following the Emperor's indications that the declaration did not compromise any demand which prejudiced the prerogatives of His Majesty as a Sovereign Ruler.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Sunday Aug 12, 1945
    Hirohito

    The Emperor informed the imperial family of his decision to surrender

    Tokyo, Japan
    Sunday Aug 12, 1945

    On August 12, 1945, the Emperor informed the imperial family of his decision to surrender. One of his uncles, Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, asked whether the war would be continued if the kokutai (national polity) could not be preserved. The Emperor simply replied "Of course."


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Tuesday Aug 14, 1945
    Hirohito

    Accepting the Potsdam Declaration

    Tokyo, Japan
    Tuesday Aug 14, 1945

    On August 14 the Suzuki government notified the Allies that it had accepted the Potsdam Declaration.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Tuesday Aug 14, 1945
    Hirohito

    The Kyūjō Incident

    Tokyo, Japan
    Tuesday Aug 14, 1945

    A faction of the army opposed to the surrender attempted a coup d'état on the evening of 14 August, prior to the broadcast. They seized the Imperial Palace (the Kyūjō incident), but the physical recording of the emperor's speech was hidden and preserved overnight. The coup was crushed by the next morning, and the speech was broadcast.


  • Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945
    Second Sino-Japanese War

    Japanese Emperor Hirohito capitulated to the Allies

    Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945

    In less than two weeks the Kwantung Army, which was the primary Japanese fighting force,consisting of over a million men but lacking in adequate armor, artillery, or air support, had been destroyed by the Soviets. Japanese Emperor Hirohito officially capitulated to the Allies on August 15, 1945.


  • Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945
    World War II

    Japan surrendered

    Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945

    In addition to the bombing of the two bombings, the Soviets, pursuant to the Yalta agreement, invaded Japanese-held Manchuria and quickly defeated the Kwantung Army, which was the largest Japanese fighting force, These two events persuaded previously adamant Imperial Army leaders to accept surrender terms. The Red Army also captured the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands. On 15 August 1945, Japan surrendered.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945
    Hirohito

    Broadcast the recording of the Emperor's Surrender Speech

    Tokyo, Japan
    Wednesday Aug 15, 1945

    On August 15 a recording of the Emperor's surrender speech ("Gyokuon-hōsō", literally "Jewel Voice Broadcast") was broadcast over the radio (the first time the Emperor was heard on the radio by the Japanese people) announcing Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. During the historic broadcast, the Emperor stated: "Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization.


  • USS Missouri, Japan
    Sunday Sep 2, 1945
    Second Sino-Japanese War

    Signing The official Surrender

    USS Missouri, Japan
    Sunday Sep 2, 1945

    The official surrender was signed aboard the battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, in a ceremony where several Allied commanders including Chinese general Hsu Yung-chang were present.


  • Tokyo Bay, Japan
    Sunday Sep 2, 1945
    World War II

    The End of the war

    Tokyo Bay, Japan
    Sunday Sep 2, 1945

    With the surrender documents finally signed at Tokyo Bay on the deck of the American battleship USS Missouri on 2 September 1945, ending the war.


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