After the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan, many Japanese statesmen realized that the political and strategic situation in Far East has changed radically and it is pointless to continue the war.
On the morning of August 9, an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council for War Management was held. Opening it, Prime Minister Suzuki stated: “I have come to the conclusion that the only possible alternative is the acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and the cessation of hostilities” (888).
Supporters of the continuation of the war, Minister of War Anami, Chief of the General Staff of the Army Umezu and Chief of the Naval General Staff Toyoda insisted that the Potsdam Declaration be accepted only if the Allied powers fulfilled four obligations: maintaining the imperial system of government, punishing war criminals by the Japanese themselves, granting Japan the right independent disarmament and preventing its occupation by the Allies, and if occupation is inevitable, then it should be short-lived, carried out by small forces and not affect Tokyo (889).
Japan's leaders wanted to exit the war with the least political and moral damage. They didn't care about the loss of life. They knew that a well-trained and still powerful military, a properly cultivated population, would fight to the end. The armed forces, according to Anami and Toyoda, are able to inflict great damage on the enemy when he invades the metropolis. In other words, Japan, in their opinion, was not yet in a position to accept a declaration without putting forward any conditions. Anami even stated that the active army would not obey the demobilization order and would not agree to lay down its arms (890). The opinions of the participants in the meeting of the Supreme Council were divided, and no decision was made.
At 2 p.m. on August 9, 1945, an emergency meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers opened (891). It was attended by 15 people, of whom 10 were civilians. Thus, the balance of forces was not in favor of the military, who were in favor of continuing the war. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo announced the text of the Potsdam Declaration and proposed accepting it, stipulating only one condition: the preservation of imperial power in the country.
Anami opposed. He again stated that if the countries that signed the Potsdam Declaration accepted all the conditions, the Japanese would continue the war. Five cabinet members abstained from voting. Secretary of the Navy, Ministers of Justice, Agriculture, Armaments and Communications, Education and the Minister without Portfolio supported Togo's proposal. The seven-hour meeting did not reveal a unanimous opinion.
At Suzuki's request, Emperor Hirohito convened the Supreme Council for War Direction. At the beginning of the meeting, Suzuki read out a draft response to the demands of the declaration prepared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo. After listening to the points of view of those present, the emperor declared that the Japanese leadership had no chance of achieving success, and ordered the draft of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to be accepted (892).
On the morning of August 10, the Japanese government announced through neutral countries Sweden and Switzerland that it agreed to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration if “the allies agree not to include in it the clause on depriving the emperor of sovereign rights” (893). The statement said: “The Japanese Government is ready to accept the terms of the Declaration of July 26 of this year, to which the Soviet Government also joined. The Japanese Government understands that this Declaration does not contain any requirements that would impair the prerogatives of the Emperor as the sovereign ruler of Japan. The Japanese Government requests specific notice in this regard" (894).
In a response from the governments of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and China dated August 11, the Allies reaffirmed their demand for unconditional surrender and drew the attention of the Japanese Government to the provision of the Potsdam Declaration, which provided that from the moment of surrender the authority of the Emperor and the Japanese Government with respect to the administration of the state would be subordinated to the Supreme Commander of the Forces allied powers, who will take such steps as he deems necessary to implement the terms of surrender.
The Emperor would be asked, the reply said, to authorize and ensure the signing by the Government and the High Command of the terms of surrender necessary to fulfill the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration. In this regard, he will have to give orders to all military, naval and air authorities and all armed forces under their command, wherever located, to cease hostilities, surrender their weapons and comply with the orders of the Supreme Commander aimed at implementing the terms of surrender. The form of government of Japan will be established in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration by the freely expressed will of the Japanese people. The armed forces of the Allied Powers would remain in Japan "until the objectives set out in the Potsdam Declaration have been achieved" (895).
The response of the governments of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and China again caused controversy and disagreement in the Japanese government. The Minister of War, on his own initiative, addressed an appeal to all generals, officers and soldiers of the army, calling for continued decisive holy war, fight to the last drop of blood (896).
Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Forces in China Okamura and Commander-in-Chief of Japanese forces in the area South Seas Tirauti, having learned about the intention of the government and headquarters to accept the Potsdam Declaration, sent telegrams to the Minister of War and the Chief of the General Staff, in which they also expressed disagreement with the decision on the need for surrender and argued for the possibility of continuing the war. Okamura wrote that “the entry of the Soviet Union into the war undoubtedly made the empire’s position even worse. However... despite the successful advance of the enemy and difficulties within the country, the entire army is ready to die with honor in battle, but achieve the goals of the war this fall" (897). The telegram sent to Tirauti to the Minister of War was written in a similar spirit.
The morning meeting of August 13 of the members of the Supreme Council for the Management of the War, as well as the afternoon meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, was held in anticipation of news from the front. On August 14 at 10 o'clock the emperor convened a joint meeting of the Supreme Council for the Management of the War and the Cabinet of Ministers. Once again, military representatives proposed making reservations in terms of surrender or continuing the war. But the majority spoke in favor of making a decision on unconditional surrender, which was approved by the emperor (898). A statement was made on his behalf: “...I ordered the adoption of the Potsdam Declaration. My opinion has not changed... I command everyone to join me... Accept the terms immediately. So that the people can know about my decision, I command that an imperial rescript on this issue be urgently prepared" (899).
On the same day, the US government received through the Swiss government a message in which the four powers were informed that a rescript from the emperor had been issued in Japan accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, readiness to authorize and ensure the signing of the corresponding document and give orders to “cease hostilities and surrender weapons, and give such other orders as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Armed Forces may require for the purpose of giving effect to the above conditions" (900).
Following the announcement of the acceptance of the terms of surrender, the Japanese government conveyed to the four powers the wishes: “a) to inform the Japanese side in advance regarding the introduction of fleets and armies of the Allied powers into the waters and territory of Japan, since the Japanese side must make appropriate preparations for this; b) reduce to a minimum the number of points on Japanese territory subject to occupation as determined by the Allied Powers; when choosing these points, exclude Tokyo and reduce to a minimum the number of troops that will be located at the points of occupation" (901). Other wishes were also put forward: to carry out disarmament in stages and by the Japanese themselves; leave edged weapons to the military personnel; do not use prisoners of war for forced labor; units located in remote areas be given additional time to implement a cessation of hostilities; remove wounded and sick Japanese from the remote Pacific islands as quickly as possible.
Having learned that the Emperor had taped an address to the people in which he announced the acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and the end of the war by Japan, a group of fanatical officers, led by Major K. Hatanaka (“young tigers” from the department of the War Ministry and the capital’s military institutions) , on the night of August 15, decided to disrupt the adoption of the declaration and lead Japan along the path of continuing the war. They set their task to eliminate “supporters of peace” from the political arena, to incline the armed forces to disobedience, and so that the emperor’s decision would not become public, to remove the text with the recording of the speech before it was broadcast.
The commander of the 1st Guards Division, which guarded the imperial palace and without which it was impossible to carry out the putsch, did not want to participate in it and was killed. Having given the orders they needed on his behalf, the putschists entered the palace, attacked the residences of Prime Minister Suzuki, Lord Privy Seal K. Kido, Chairman of the Privy Council K. Hiranuma, as well as the Tokyo radio station. However, they were unable to find the wanted persons, as well as the tape recording of the speech. Other parts of the Tokyo garrison did not support the conspirators. Even many former supporters of the “young tigers”, not wanting to go against the emperor’s decision and not believing in the success of the putsch, refused to take part in it.
The hastily organized putsch was liquidated within the first hours. Its instigators were not tried. They were simply given the opportunity to do hara-kiri according to samurai custom.
On August 15, a rescript from Emperor Hirohito accepting the terms of surrender was broadcast over the radio. “We have ordered our government,” said Hirohito, “to convey to the governments of the United States, Great Britain, China and the Soviet Union a message that our empire accepts the terms of their joint declaration” (902).
It is characteristic that both at the time of the promulgation of the imperial rescript and at post-war years Japanese official propaganda strongly emphasized the “special role of the emperor” in the events of August 9–15, 1945. According to its statements, surrender was announced only at the insistence of the emperor, and military defeat and the need for surrender were either not mentioned at all, or were considered secondary reasons.
In the difficult days for the Japanese militarists after August 9, some senior military and politicians countries, realizing the imminent collapse of their policies and the inevitability of retribution, resorted to suicide. On August 11, former Prime Minister Tojo, the first of Japan's main war criminals, unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide with a revolver shot. On August 15, War Minister Anami, the creator of the kamikaze corps, Vice Admiral T. Opisi, the commander-in-chief of the 1st United Army, Field Marshal Sugiyama, the commanders of the 10th, 11th and 12th fronts, and one of the former commanders of the Kwantung Army, General S. Honjo, committed suicide. , as well as other generals and ministers of the Suzuki cabinet (903).
On August 15, Suzuki's cabinet fell. All day and night, fires burned near many government institutions: archives, correspondence and other documents that could discredit the ruling elite were urgently burned.
Under these circumstances, political and military leaders began to push for the unilateral occupation of Japan by American troops in order to “confront the threat of communist revolution and help preserve the imperial system” (904).
On August 15, hostilities between the Anglo-American and Japanese armed forces ceased. However, in the territory of Northeast China, Korea, Southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, Japanese troops continued to resist the Soviet Armed Forces. Units of the Kwantung Army did not receive an order to cease hostilities, therefore the Soviet troops in the Far East were also not given an order to cease hostilities. Only on August 19 did the first meeting of Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky take place with the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, Hata, at which the parties agreed on the procedure for surrender. From that same day, Japanese troops began to lay down their arms in front of the Soviet Armed Forces. Disarmament of groups located in Northeast China and North Korea, continued until the end of the month. At the same time, the operation in South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands was completed.
With the receipt of data on Japan’s acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration on August 14, 1945, the American side developed a draft “General Order No. 1 (Army and Navy)” on accepting the surrender of the Japanese armed forces. The draft order was approved by US President Truman and communicated to the allies on August 15. It defined the zones in which each of the Allied powers accepted the surrender of Japanese troops.
The Soviet government, in its response dated August 16, stated that it basically does not object to the contents of the order, but proposes to amend it: to include in the area of surrender to Soviet troops all the Kuril Islands, which, by agreement of the three powers in Crimea, were transferred to the Soviet Union, and the northern half of the island Hokkaido (905) . The US government was unable to raise any objections regarding the Kuril Islands. With regard to Hokkaido, Truman replied that General MacArthur was surrendering Japanese armed forces on all islands of Japan proper and he “will use symbolic (emphasis added by us. - Ed.) allied armed forces, which, of course, will include the Soviet armed forces" (906).
The US government essentially rejected allied control in post-war Japan, as provided for in the Potsdam Declaration, took the path of refusing to cooperate with the Soviet Union, and took a number of actions that clearly contradicted existing allied agreements. Thus, in President Truman’s response to the Soviet government on August 18, a demand was put forward to use one of the Kuril Islands as a US air base, and this demand was not even motivated. The Soviet government rejected this request, pointing out that the Kuril Islands, according to the Crimean Agreement, should come into the possession of the Soviet Union and that it understood “in view of what circumstances such a demand could arise.” The Soviet government's response explained that if the United States had in mind the landing of American commercial aircraft, then the USSR was ready to allocate an airfield, provided that the United States allocated the same one in the Aleutian Islands for landing Soviet aircraft {907} .
All preparatory work to organize the official signing of the instrument of surrender was carried out by MacArthur's headquarters in Manila. MacArthur was appointed Allied Supreme Commander at this time; he was entrusted with accepting the surrender and its implementation. Upon assuming this position, MacArthur on August 19 forbade the signing of any documents of surrender in other theaters of war before he signed them himself. He also prohibited the re-occupation of territories occupied by the Japanese before the signing of the act of surrender in Tokyo (908). On August 19, a Japanese delegation led by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff arrived in Manila ground forces General T. Kawabe. It included 7 representatives of the army, 6 - navy and 2 - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were notified of the dates and areas where the first occupation troops would land. In this regard, the Japanese army was supposed to leave the Atsugi airfield by the end of the day on August 24, the areas of Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay - by August 25, the Kanon base and the southern part of Kyushu Island - by 12 o'clock on August 30 (909).
Kawabe and the senior representative from the fleet, Admiral I. Yokoyama, asked for a delay in the landing occupation forces for ten days, citing the need to take precautions to avoid untoward incidents. The request of the Japanese delegation was granted, although for a shorter period. The landing of the first units of the occupation forces was delayed by three days, until August 26, and the main forces - until August 28 (910).
On August 20, the Japanese representatives in Manila received the instrument of surrender agreed upon by the Allied powers. The first paragraph of the act stated that Japan accepted “the terms of the declaration published on July 26 in Potsdam by the heads of government of the United States, China and Great Britain, to which the USSR subsequently joined” (911).
The act provided for the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Japan itself and those under its control, regardless of their location. A special clause stipulated that Japanese troops would immediately cease hostilities and undertake to preserve and prevent damage to ships, aircraft, military and civilian property. The General Staff was directed to immediately issue orders to the commanders of Japanese forces, as well as troops under Japanese control, to ensure unconditional surrender, the immediate release of prisoners of war and interned civilians of the Allied powers, to provide for their protection, maintenance and care, and to immediately transport them to specified places. Issues regarding the occupation of Japan by the Allied armies and the procedure for signing the act of unconditional surrender of Japan were also discussed.
On September 2, 1945, a signing ceremony took place on board the American battleship Missouri, which entered Tokyo Bay.
MacArthur staged the ceremony to make it seem as if Japan had been crushed almost entirely by the United States. In an effort to emphasize that the victory brings to an end almost a century of US policy on Pacific Ocean, the Americans removed from the museum and delivered to the Missouri the flag with which in 1854 Commodore M. Perry “discovered” Japan, that is, forced it to sign an unequal treaty under the guns. The flag, placed in a glass display case, was placed in a prominent place.
A large table was placed on the upper deck of the battleship, at which sat representatives of the delegations of the USA, Great Britain, USSR, France, China, Australia, Canada, Holland, New Zealand, and numerous correspondents were present. The Japanese delegation included Foreign Minister Shigemitsu, representing the government, and General Umezu, the imperial headquarters.
The Japanese delegation was delivered aboard the battleship on the American destroyer Lansdowne at 8:55 a.m. Before reaching the table, the Japanese representatives stopped - the “minutes of shame” came. For five minutes, the Japanese delegation stood under the stern gaze of the representatives of the allied countries present on the ship.
At 9:04 a.m., after a brief speech by MacArthur, Shigemitsu and Umezu signed the act of unconditional surrender. Then it was signed by representatives of the allied powers: on behalf of all allied nations - Supreme Commander General D. MacArthur, on behalf of the United States of America - Admiral Charles Nimitz, China - Kuomintang General Su Yung-chang, Great Britain - Admiral B. Fraser, Soviet Union - General Derevyanko Kuzmich Nikolaevich, Australia - General T. Blamey, France - General J. Leclerc, Holland - Admiral K. Halfrich, New Zealand - Air Vice-Marshal L. Isit, Canada - Colonel N. Moore-Cosgrave.
The ceremony of signing the act of unconditional surrender lasted 20 minutes. Having received copies of the document of surrender, the Japanese delegation departed from the Missouri (912).
Following this, representatives of the Allied command began to accept the surrender of Japanese troops in various areas of the Pacific Ocean, China, and Southeast Asia. This procedure took several months.
The surrender of the Empire of Japan marked the end of World War II, particularly the Pacific War and the Soviet-Japanese War.
On August 10, 1945, Japan officially announced its readiness to accept the Potsdam terms of surrender with the reservation regarding the preservation of the structure of imperial power in the country. On August 11, 1945, the United States rejected Japan's amendment, insisting on the Potsdam Conference formula. As a result, on August 14, 1945, Japan officially accepted the terms of surrender and informed the allies about it.
The official ceremony of signing the Instrument of Japanese Surrender took place on September 2, 1945 at 9:02 am Tokyo time on board the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
Persons who signed the act: Empire of Japan– Shigemitsu Mamoru, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Umezu Yoshijiro, Chief General Staff, Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies, US Army General Douglas MacArthur. The act was also signed by representatives of the USA - Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, Great Britain - Admiral Bruce Fraser, USSR - Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko, Free French - General Jean Philippe Leclerc, Republic of China - First Class General Xu Yongchang, Canada - Colonel Lawrence Cosgrave, Australia - General Thomas Blamey, New Zealand - Air Vice-Marshal Leonard Isitt, the Netherlands - Lieutenant Admiral Emil Helfrich.
1. We, acting by order and on behalf of the Emperor, the Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General Staff, hereby accept the terms of the declaration issued on July 26th at Potsdam by the Heads of Government of the United States, China and Great Britain, to which the USSR subsequently acceded, which four powers will subsequently called the Allied Powers.
2. We hereby declare the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Staff, all Japanese armed forces and all armed forces under Japanese control, regardless of where they are located.
3. We hereby order all Japanese troops, wherever located, and the Japanese people to immediately cease hostilities, preserve and prevent damage to all ships, aircraft and military and civilian property, and comply with all demands that may be made by the Supreme Commander Allied Powers or organs of the Japanese Government on its instructions.
4. We hereby order the Japanese Imperial General Staff to immediately issue orders to the commanders of all Japanese troops and troops under Japanese control, wherever located, to surrender unconditionally in person, and to ensure the unconditional surrender of all troops under their command.
5. All civil, military and naval officials shall obey and carry out all directions, orders and directives which the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers may deem necessary for the execution of this surrender and which shall be issued by himself or under his authority; we direct all such officials to remain at their posts and continue to perform their non-combat duties unless relieved thereof by special order issued by or under the authority of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers.
6. We hereby pledge that the Japanese Government and its successors will faithfully carry out the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and give such orders and take such actions as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers or any other representative designated by the Allied Powers may require in order to give effect to this declaration.
7. We hereby direct the Japanese Imperial Government and the Japanese Imperial General Staff to immediately release all Allied prisoners of war and civilian internees now under Japanese control and provide for their protection, maintenance and care, and their immediate delivery to designated places.
Day of the end of World War II. The Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed
Signing of the Unconditional Surrender of Japan on board the battleship Missouri
The surrender of Japan, signed on September 2, 1945, marked the end of World War II, particularly the Pacific War and the Soviet-Japanese War.
On August 9, 1945, the Soviet government declared a state of war between the USSR and Japan. At the final stage of World War II, the Manchurian Strategic War was carried out offensive Soviet troops with the goal of defeating the Japanese Kwantung Army, liberating the northeastern and northern provinces of China (Manchuria and Inner Mongolia), the Liaodong Peninsula, Korea, and eliminating Japan's large military-economic base on the Asian continent. Soviet troops launched an offensive. Aviation carried out strikes on military installations, troop concentration areas, communication centers and communications of the enemy in the border zone. The Pacific Fleet, having entered the Sea of Japan, cut communications connecting Korea and Manchuria with Japan, and launched air and naval artillery attacks on enemy naval bases.
On August 18-19, Soviet troops reached the approaches to the most important industrial and administrative centers of Manchuria. To speed up the capture of the Kwantung Army and prevent the enemy from evacuating or destroying material assets, an airborne assault force was landed on this territory. On August 19, the mass surrender of Japanese troops began. The defeat of the Kwantung Army in the Manchurian Operation forced Japan to capitulate.
Second World War ended completely and finally when, on September 2, 1945, on board the American flagship battleship Missouri, which arrived in the waters of Tokyo Bay, Japanese Foreign Minister M. Shigemitsu and Chief of the General Staff General Y. Umezu, US Army General D. MacArthur, Soviet general Lieutenant K. Derevianko, Admiral of the British Fleet B. Fraser, on behalf of their states, signed the “Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan.”
Representatives of France, the Netherlands, China, Australia, and New Zealand were also present at the signing. Under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of 1945, the terms of which Japan accepted in full, its sovereignty was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido, as well as smaller islands of the Japanese archipelago - at the direction of the allies. The islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai went to the Soviet Union. Also, according to the Act, hostilities on the part of Japan ceased immediately, all Japanese and Japanese-controlled armed forces unconditionally surrendered; weapons, military and civilian property were preserved without damage. The Japanese government and general staff were ordered to immediately release Allied prisoners of war and interned civilians. All Japanese civilian, military, and naval officials were required to obey and carry out the instructions and orders of the Supreme Command of the Allied Powers. In order to monitor the implementation of the Act, by decision of the Moscow Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the USSR, USA and Great Britain, the Far Eastern Commission and the Allied Council for Japan were created.
The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed on September 2, 1945, but the country's leadership took a very long time to reach this decision. The Potsdam Declaration laid down the terms of surrender, but the Emperor officially refused the proposed ultimatum. True, Japan still had to accept all the terms of surrender, putting an end to the conduct of hostilities.
Preliminary stage
The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was not signed immediately. First, on July 26, 1945, China, England and the United States of America submitted for general consideration the demands for Japan's surrender in the Potsdam Declaration. The main idea of the declaration was the following: if the country refuses to accept the proposed conditions, then it will face “quick and complete destruction.” Two days later, the Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun responded to the declaration with a categorical refusal.
Despite the fact that Japan carried heavy losses, its fleet completely ceased to function (which for an island state that is completely dependent on the supply of raw materials is a horrific tragedy), and the likelihood of an invasion of American and Soviet troops into the country was extremely high, the Military Newspaper of the Japanese Imperial Command made strange conclusions: “ We are unable to lead a war without hope of success. The only way left for all Japanese is to sacrifice their lives and do everything possible to undermine the morale of the enemy."
Mass self-sacrifice
In fact, the government called on its subjects to commit an act of mass self-sacrifice. True, the population did not react in any way to this prospect. In some places one could still find pockets of fierce resistance, but in general the samurai spirit had long since outlived its usefulness. And as historians note, all the Japanese learned in 1945 was to surrender en masse.
At that time, Japan was expecting two attacks: the Allied offensive (China, England, the United States of America) on Kyushu and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed only because the prevailing conditions in the country turned out to be critical.
The emperor until the last supported the continuation of the war. After all, for the Japanese to surrender was an unheard-of shame. Before this, the country had not lost a single war and had not seen foreign invasions of its own territory for almost half a millennium. But it turned out to be completely ruined, which is why the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed.
Attack
On August 6, 1945, fulfilling the threat stated in the Potsdam Declaration, America dropped atomic bomb to Hiroshima. Three days later, the same fate befell the city of Nagasaki, which was the country's largest naval base.
The country had not yet recovered from such a large-scale tragedy when on August 8, 1945, the authorities of the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and on August 9 began to conduct military operations. Thus, the Manchurian offensive operation of the Soviet army began. In fact, Japan's military-economic base on the Asian continent was completely eliminated.
Destruction of communications
At the first stage of the battles, Soviet aviation targeted military installations, communications centers, and communications in border zones. Pacific Fleet. The communications that connected Korea and Manchuria with Japan were cut and the enemy's naval base was seriously damaged.
On August 18, the Soviet army was already approaching the production and administrative centers of Manchuria, they were trying to prevent the enemy from destroying material assets. On August 19, in the Land of the Rising Sun they realized that they could not see victory in sight, and began to surrender en masse. Japan was forced to capitulate. On August 2, 1945, the world war completely and finally ended when the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed.
Document of surrender
September, 1945, on board the American cruiser Missouri - this is where the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed. On behalf of their states the document was signed by:
- Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu.
- Chief of the General Staff Yoshijiro Umezu.
- American Army General
- Lieutenant General of the Soviet Union Kuzma Derevyanko.
- Admiral of the British Flotilla Bruce Fraser.
In addition to them, representatives of China, France, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand were present during the signing of the act.
We can say that the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed in the city of Kure. This was the last region after the bombing of which the Japanese government decided to surrender. Some time later, a battleship appeared in Tokyo Bay.
The essence of the document
According to the regulations approved in the document, Japan fully accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The country's sovereignty was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido and other smaller islands of the Japanese archipelago. The islands of Habomai, Shikotan, and Kunashir were transferred to the Soviet Union.
Japan was to cease all hostilities, release prisoners of war and other foreign soldiers imprisoned during the war, and preserve civilian and military property without damage. Japanese officials also had to obey the orders of the Allied Supreme Command.
In order to be able to monitor the progress of fulfillment of the terms of the Act of Surrender, the USSR, USA and Great Britain decided to create the Far Eastern Commission and the Union Council.
The meaning of war
Thus ended one in the history of mankind. Japanese generals were convicted of war crimes. On May 3, 1946, a military tribunal began work in Tokyo, which tried those responsible for preparing the Second World War. Those who wanted to seize other people's lands at the cost of death and enslavement appeared before the people's court.
The battles of World War II claimed about 65 million lives. The biggest losses were suffered Soviet Union, which took the brunt of the blow. The Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan, signed in 1945, can be called a document that sums up the results of a protracted, bloody and senseless battle.
The result of these battles was the expansion of the borders of the USSR. Fascist ideology was condemned, war criminals were punished, and the United Nations was created. A pact on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and a ban on their creation were signed.
Influence Western Europe decreased noticeably, the United States managed to maintain and strengthen its position in the international economic market, and the victory of the USSR over fascism gave the country the opportunity to maintain independence and follow the chosen path of life. But all this was achieved at too high a price.