The Real Reason Japan Surrendered | Best WW2 Documentary

[Music] the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains to this day the only time in history in which nuclear weapons have been used against civilian targets with over 200,000 people dying as a direct result of the attacks 5 days later Japan a nation that hadn't been defeated in over 2,000 years issued their surrender and for the first time was occupied by a foreign power but is this the real reason they surrendered or are there other factors that have been overlooked why did President Harry Truman believe the use of such a devastating weapon was the only thing

capable of forcing them to surrender and what effect did the Soviet Union's entry into the war have on Japan's key decision makers one what were the American Invasion plans for the Japanese home Islands as the atomic bombs not worked and how many millions of Japanese civilians were prepared to sacrifice their lives in the defense of their Homeland why did it take Japan so long to surrender and how did a military coup managed to take control of the entire Imperial Palace and come close to destroying the emperor's peace plans on the very day that surrender was

announced in order to understand the real reason Japan surrendered the topic will be broken into three distinct chapters each focusing on different perspectives to paint as clear a picture as possible the Prelude will explore Japan's dreams of Empire their rapid conquest of East Asia and the Pacific which in just under a year saw them create one of the largest empires in history where they would rule over 20% of the world's population but how were they able to do this and what ideology drove them how did an ancient samurai code of honor known as Bido transform

the nation into one of hardened militants that knew no fear no surrender and Justified the sacrifice of their youth in suicidal bansai and kamakazi Strikes how did their God Emperor Inspire unquestioning loyalty from his subjects and how would this ideology bring them to the brink of total [Music] Annihilation part one will focus on the conflict from the American perspective who after 3 years of grooing combat in the Pacific had positioned their their Fleet and Maritime power on Japan's doorstep but one crucial but important decision remained how to bring the war to an end against an

enemy that refused to surrender some would argue for the mass firebombing of Japanese towns and cities and others for operation downfall the plan for a fullscale invasion of Japan others still would look to a new technology with American scientists working on a device that would change the world with the Manhattan Project culminating in a new age of nuclear weaponry in the last and final chapter we will look at the conflict from the perspective of the Japanese themselves exploring the private discussions and documents of the time to hear what Japan's leaders said in their own words

during the critical last months of the war by studying the meetings of Emperor hito and the Supreme Council the six men leading his government we can discover why they refused to surrender for so long how it was they plan to end the conflict and their reactions to both the Soviet declaration of war and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ultimately we will take you step by step through Emperor hitto's unprecedented intervention demanding that his government accept the Allies surrender terms and why it was needed to save the country from destruction at the hands of Japan's

fanatical military leaders who refused at every turn to make concessions towards peace join us as we take you step by step and chapter by chapter through the real reason Japan surrendered and how the most deadly conflict in human history came to an end [Music] [Music] after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 Japan had looked Unstoppable in just under a year they had seen success after success in their conquest of the Pacific with little to no opposition from the European Colonial Powers who were preoccupied with Hitler to the West under Japanese rule were now the

territories of Korea and manuk quo as well as large parts of northern China Formosa Hong Kong French Indochina Thailand Burma and Malaya in the Central Pacific they now reigned Supreme Over Singapore and the Philippines as well as Borneo and the Dutch East Indies with the Japanese also expanding southwards into New Guinea and the Solomon Islands but their Conquest was not complete to the north bases on the island chains of the Marianas the marshals the Carolinas and the Gilberts would provide control over both the sky and the Sea these islands would also play a key role

in establishing Japan's defensive perimeter something they referred to as the absolute National Defense Zone a vertical line that stretched from Western New Guinea to the cural islands North of Mainland Japan the territory within this Zone would be referred to as the greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere and would ensure that the Japanese could transport to the vital resources of oil tin and rubber from their conquests back to the Homeland without interference from the Western Powers however within this Zone the Japanese would not just look for resources they would embark on a campaign of absolute destruction committing

some of the most horrific and brutal acts in the history of warfare as one historian put it Japanese troops let loose like the hordes of gasan with the most well documented case being known as the rape of Nang King further expanding into China Japan would take Shanghai in November 1937 with them then marching West towards Nang King by December 50,000 Japanese troops troops had reached the city who would participate in the destruction widespread Slaughter rape and murder of innocent civilians 300,000 lives half of the City's population would be taken in less than 6 weeks most

being buried in Mass Graves with their hands tied behind their backs unfortunately these actions would not just be confined to Nang King and would be perpetrated throughout southeast Asia by 1945 under Japanese subjugation over 30 million people had perished 20 million in China alone and a further 8 million in Burma French Indochina the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines however Japanese dreams of Empire would not last to roam across Asia uncontested Japan had attacked American and European territories with a war across the continent now emerging [Music] for the Japanese their attack on Pearl Harbor had

awoken the industrial might of America whose ability to outproduce their Enemy by such staggering proportions made their ultimate victory in the Pacific all but inevitable prior to the outbreak of the war the United States was a world leader in manufacturing churning out Automobiles and household appliances on a mass scale but after the attack on Pearl Harbor President Franklin Roosevelt looked to transform these industries Into the Heart of the US War Machine and ignite America's industrial potential American industry Roosevelt believed was the key to winning the war powerful enemies must be out fought and outproduced he

would state it is not enough to turn out just a few more planes a few more tanks a few more guns a few more ships that could be turned out by our enemies we must outproduce them overwhelmingly so that there can be no question of our ability to provide a crushing superiority of equipment in any theater of the world war the mass production of Liberty ships aircraft carriers Wildcat Fighters and b29 bombers turned America into a new world superpower with the rate of production something no nation and especially Japan could compete with during 1941 alone

the US produced more ships than Japan would during the entire entire war and by the time the conflict ended they had produced 17 new aircraft carriers nearly 300,000 aircraft and over 880,000 tanks with over half of all industrial production around the globe now taking place in the United [Music] States for the Japanese by attacking Pearl Harbor they had started a war they simply could not not win with the United States now inflicting a series of devastating defeats against Japan throughout the Pacific the Japanese would first be pushed out of guadal canal giving the Americans a

foothold from which they could launch further attacks in the region Japan would soon find itself attacked from two sides with general Douglas MacArthur advancing through New Guinea and the Philippines while Admiral Chester Nimitz embarked on an island hopping campaign throughout the Central Pacific the once proud Japanese Navy would be wiped out in a series of decisive Naval battles at Midway the Philippine Sea and late Gulf with Japan losing thousands of ships including virtually all of their Cruisers battleships and aircraft carriers with the Japanese Navy in ruins it would be America that controlled the Pacific Ocean

with Japan now cut off from their vital supplies of oil tin and rubber that came from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies without these resources of which Japan had almost no natural reserves they would lose the ability to wage war there would be no oil to fuel their aircraft ships or tanks no rubber to manufacture tires aircraft parts or Footwear for soldiers and no tin to make bullet casings food cans and other components necessary for wartime production by 1945 after nearly 3 years of grueling combat the fall of okanawa marked the end of Japan's last

defensive stronghold with this strategic Island now under American control the US Pacific Fleet had a clear path to the Japanese home [Music] Islands but although the combat in the Pacific Theater was now over the psychological scars these battles had left with American servicemen would come to play a key role in the critical months that lay ahead Island after Island and campaign after campaign American Marines and soldiers had faced fanatical Japanese resistance of people who would rather be wiped out entirely than endure the shame of surrender these ideas would date back to the time of the

Samurai and their strict code of honor known as Bido the Bido code demanded AB absolute loyalty from a samurai towards his Lord even if that meant personal sacrifice with failure to do so considered an unforgivable dishonor in battle a samurai was expected to fight honorably in service of their lord and act with bravery even when against overwhelming odds cowardice and weakness were considered shameful and death was often seen as preferable to surrender violating the Bushido code through acts of treachery or cowardice was considered the ultimate disgrace and would cast shame not only on the samurai

himself but also his Lord Clan and entire family to save himself from this dishonor a samurai could perform sepu an act of ritual suicide that would wipe away the shame now associated with him the ritual would involve the samurai slicing his stomach open with a small Blade with an assistance then decapitating him to shorten the suffering however sepu wasn't just about restoring honor defeated Samurai could also choose this path to face death with courage and dignity rather than face the humiliation of enemy capture in doing so they could control the conditions of Their Own Death

rather than having it be chosen for them while the age of the Samurai had ended in the 1870s the Bido code would live on and by the time of the second world war had become an integral part of Japanese ideology that had come to be known as state Shinto State Shinto had first developed during the late 19th century during a period known as the Magi Restoration in which reformers chose to adapt Japan's traditional religion of Shinto in order to justify and strengthen their rule Shinto had always held that the emperor of Japan was a Divine

figure descended from the Sun Goddess amatarasu however the Magi reformers would use the emperor's Divine and un questioned status in order to legitimize the creation of their new government and the policies they would now enact as he was a Divine figure the emperor demanded absolute loyalty from every Japanese Citizen and as he gave his Blessing to the government this would give them the authority to rule these ideas would be taken even further in the early 20th century when Japanese nationalists would use the beliefs of State Shinto to justify military expansion and ensure absolute loyalty to

the state a key figure in the development of Shinto Ultra nationalism was political philosopher U Sugi shinachi who would advocate for a strong centralized government under the leadership of a Divine Emperor who stood Above the Rest of humanity he therefore argued that Japan as the embodiment of divine will had not only a right but a duty to spread its Superior culture and civilization to other parts of Asia as author Sarah C pay describes us sui's reforms he transformed it into an ideology of Mass Appeal justifying terrorism in the name of the state in order to

eliminate the defilers of the polity he defined the Japanese State as the ultimate morality with its God incarnate Emperor who alone stood above selfish interests and therefore alone could represent the best interests not just of Japan but of humanity he rejected westernization and constitutional monarchy to Advocate totalitarianism with Japanese characteristics his Works formed part of the curriculum at military schools and his views greatly influenced unit officers those who did most of the killing and dying increasingly education and the military academy emphasized not practical military training but ideology and the special relationship between the officer Corp

and the emperor the emperor Centric nation state required the complete subordination of the individual to a strategy of aggressive territorial expansion in the pursuit of a collective goal of a Japanese Global order these Ambitions had two possible but antithetical outcomes total Victory or utter Annihilation adherence had an undue optimism about the first possibility but were dead right about the second it was an ideology that was to take grip of Japan's ruling military Elite coming to full fruition under the reign of Emperor hito who ascended to the throne in 1926 by the time of the second

world war these ideas had permeated throughout every aspect of Japanese Society with every Soldier now expected to sacrifice their life for Japan the word surrender did not even exist in the Japanese army manual with Japanese forces frequently choosing to launch suicidal bansai charges against the American lines often armed with only bayonets and Spears rather than face the shame of being captured alive generals too just like the samurai of the past were now expected to commit seacu in the face of defeat being able to retain their honor by taking their life with their own hands the

Japanese refusal to surrender resulted in most Pacific Islands becoming scenes of complete Annihilation where American forces were often forced to eliminate every Japanese soldier leading to tens or even hundreds of thousands of deaths on each island those who didn't join the bansai charges would hold out for months in underground caves and bunkers with the intention of sacrificing their life to inflict as many casualties as possible as Japanese soldiers on the island of iima were reminded kill 10 of the enemy before dying even civilians were now to follow the laws of Bido being expected to take

their own lives rather than live under American occupation on the island of sipan in the Central Pacific over 8,000 civilians would choose death over surrender throwing themselves from the top of cliffs pulling hand grenades or drowning themselves in the ocean those who did not choose this path were in some instances forced to by the Japanese military who had gunned down civilians who hesitated to take their own lives the mix of Bido ideals and extreme nationalism had created a mentality that not only excused but sometimes even encouraged atrocities but for all of their fanaticism Japanese Ambitions

for Empire had not come to fruition with them pushed out of the Pacific and Southeast Asia all the way back to their Homeland but although they now stood on Japan's doorstep few Americans wanted to go through with an invasion as their experience in the Pacific so far had taught them that an invasion of Japan would be one of the most brutal and costly campaigns of the entire War American policy makers were determined to preserve as many American lives as possible and would therefore look for alternative ways to bring about Japan surrender and finally bring the

war to an end [Music] for some American strategists the path to force Japan surrender would be to bomb their cities from the air the United States policy was initially one of precision bombing where Pilots were instructed to only target military facilities or critical infrastructure in order to minimize civilian casualties however this policy was incredibly ineffective with daytime Precision rates dropping bombs from 30,000 ft failing to inflict any significant damage with strong winds often blowing the bombs astray and drifting them into civilian areas and so starting in 1945 the Americans would abandon high altitude Precision bombing

altogether and instead focus on low-level incendiary attacks at night known as strategic bombing that would specifically Target to densely populated cities to cause the most destruction possible leading the bombing campaign would be General Curtis L whose mission was in his own words to burn the place to the ground knowing that Japanese homes were highly flammable with they mainly constructed of wooden paper L's Pilots would now use incendiary bombs filled with a new chemical known as napon that would set a flame everything in its path the new tactics would be put in place on March 9th

1945 when bomber command launched a nighttime strike against Tokyo taking off from the islands Guam and sipan in the Central Pacific more than 300 b29 bombers armed with over half a million incendiary canisters would fly over Tokyo unleashing Napal over the city's residential areas the American bombs were designed to crash through the thin roofing material of Japanese houses hit the ground and then spew out a stream of flaming nap arm in all directions what would result would be a firestorm of Epic Proportions with a hurricane of flame soaring thousands of feet into the air and

engulfing the city in a monstrous heat never seen before with Lakes beginning to boil and Pilots a mile high being able to feel the heat through the base of their aircraft by the time the sun rose the next morning over 250,000 homes had been burned to the ground leaving more than a million people homeless and over a 100,000 dead it would be the deadliest air raid of the entire War over the next few months every major Japanese City would be targeted with ngoya Koba or saaka Yokohama and Kawasaki experiencing the full force of L's incendiary

campaign these attacks would lead to the death of over 260,000 people with another 13 million being left homeless soon Japan's major cities had been so thoroughly destroyed that LA's Pilots began to run out of targets with their focus now shifting to smaller cities and towns across the country in total 58 cities would be hit with virtually no loss of life to the American bomber Crews involved from the American perspective these raids were so successful that they would begin to remove their defensive machine guns from their planes so that they could carry even more incendiary bombs

lame although supporting the outright indiscriminate boming of Japan's civilian population knew that this policy pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable wartime conduct with him confiding to his Aid Robert mamera the future Secretary of Defense if we lose the war with will be tried as war criminals these firebombing campaigns and the destruction they brought about would continue right up until the end of the war with the Japanese government still refusing to surrender no one dared to even speak of peace with over 400 people arrested in 1945 alone on the mere suspicion of favoring negotiation

the Japanese would not give in the war would have to go on by the summer of 1945 the Japanese empire was gone its cities were bombed from the sky its Navy and Air Force were all but destroyed and its factories lay idle as the essential Imports of fuel and raw materials were cut off by American submarines intense bombing campaigns inflicted on Germany had failed to bring about their defeat alone with boots on the ground Manpower pushing all the way to Berlin ultimately needed before any glimpse of surrender was was offered unfortunately this also looked to

be the case with Japan with fire bombing alone having failed to bring about their capitulation some in the Navy would argue that a land Invasion would simply be too costly and that Japan instead could be forced into submission via a naval blockade with submarines cutting off their supplies of food Fuel and essential raw materials however a submarine blockade of the country while effective would result in the mass starvation of tens of millions of Japanese civilians something that would not only take too long but would not be politically feasible the United States could not be seen

to starve millions of people to death a land Invasion American troops on the ground seem to be the only realistic alternative and so reluctantly plans were drawn up to invade the Japanese home Islands Japan itself was separated ated into four main islands kushu shikaku honu and Hokkaido codenamed operation downfall and advocated by members of both the Army and Navy this Invasion plan for the Japanese home Islands was separated into two parts the first stage would be the invasion of the Japanese island of kushu with a diversionary attack to be made against the smaller island of

shikaku to the east here 900,000 Japanese soldiers would await them in Trench and dug in across the Island's many mountains and caves scheduled to take place in the Autumn of 1945 The Invasion would involve 700,000 American men who would attempt to secure the island and its airfields to help support the subsequent Invasion to the north the second stage of operation downfall was to begin in March 1946 needing an estimated 1.2 million American soldiers they would Target honu the largest Japanese island where Tokyo the nation's capital was located this plan however was expected to be the

bloodiest campaign of the Pacific to date far exceeding the horrors seen on okanawa iima and the Philippines combined okanawa had seen American forces experience over a 35% casualty rate with the invasion of Japan expected to at least match this number if not exceed it with almost 2 million troops lined up to participate in The Invasion it was estimated that this this would result in over 700,000 American casualties while the figures of American casualties were startlingly high the Japanese on the other hand would come up with a defensive plan that made the American figures pale in

comparison following the honor code of State Shinto Japanese officers believed that it was better to sacrifice every living soul in Japan rather than surrender to the enemy as one Japanese officer put it each citizen was to be prepared to sacrifice his life in suicide attacks and so they would look to mobilize the entire civilian population of fighting age men and women a total of 28 million people most would be armed with only Spears clubs or swords but all would share the same determination that they would fight to the death in order to protect their Homeland

even children were expected to join the fight as had been the case in other islands like okanawa with their small size making them perfect candidates for suicide side bomb attacks against American tanks the defense of Japan however would not just be limited to ground preparations the Army general staff had gathered over 10,000 aircraft on the island of kushu all to be used in kamakazi strikes against an invading American Fleet translating to divine wind the name kamakazi would refer to a type that had destroyed the invasion fleets of the Mongol ruler kubl Khan in the 13th

century with legend holding that the emperor himself had summoned these storms the divine wind to destroy the Mongol Invaders and save Japan and now the Japanese would yet again look to kamakazi to destroy an invasion force that threatens their Homeland as a result vice admiral anishi takajo the commander of the first air fleet would organize a special attack unit made up of volunteer pilots who were willing to act as human missiles crashing their bomb Laden planes into American ships being first introduced at the Battle of late Gulf these kamakazi attacks would prove to be extremely

difficult to stop with the entire plane not just a portion of it having to be struck and destroyed by anti-aircraft fire giving the planes that hit their targets an extremely high success rate with only one Japanese pilot sacrificed for every 10 American casualties although only only a few of these kamakazi planes would actually hit their target with others missing their targets completely and falling into the ocean the ones that did hit was so devastating to the US Fleet that Japanese High command believed their use was worth the price as a result these attacks came to

play a greater and greater role as the war progressed with over 3,000 kamakazi Pilots sacrificing their lives during the conflict for the Japanese it would be their willingness to sacrifice their own lives in service to their Emperor nation and ancestors that they believed would bring about Victory and help prevent an American invasion of the home islands and given the Damage Done by kamakazi on previous campaigns it was estimated that up to 50% of the US invasion Fleet could be disabled before The Landings even took place for strategists on both sides there was only one certainty

the invasion of Japan would be catastrophic the conflict would drag on for years Millions on both sides were to lose their lives and it was still not clear even with a land Invasion whether Japan would finally admit defeat and agree to unconditional surrender however unknown to both sides at the time a third alternative was soon to appear the president was about to hear word of the Manhattan [Music] Project directed by Brigadier General Leslie Groves he would work alongside the physicist J Robert Oppenheimer in Los Alamos New Mexico with the pair beginning the race to build

the world's first nuclear weapon operating in 37 different facilities across the United States and Canada and employing nearly 130,000 people the project would cost over $2 billion in total amounting to nearly 1% of the United States entire defense spending during the war after nearly 3 years of work Oppenheimer and his team had done the impossible and they were now ready to test launch the world's first ever nuclear bomb set to take place in the open desert plains of New Mexico Oppenheimer would name the event Trinity with over 400 people coming to witness the dawn of

a new age and so in the early hours of July 16th 1945 the go-ahead to detonate the bomb was given with an energy equivalent of 24 kilotons of TNT the desert sky would be engulfed by a giant ball of fire that Rose over8 miles into the sky while a beam of intense light shot out in all directions Illuminating the mountains for miles around Oppenheimer looking on with both awe and horror would be reminded of a passage from the Indian Sanskrit poem the bagavat Gita now I am become death the destroyer of worlds I suppose we

all thought that one way or another the United States and the world had now entered the atomic age but still questions remained over how the bombs were to be used was it moral to use the bomb should it be used against strictly military targets or should civilian areas also be considered these were not not the questions for scientists and Engineers who had built the bomb however but rather for the politicians in Washington and in particular the United States's new commanderin-chief Harry Truman at The Emperor's Palace in Potsdam to pose for the international press come United

States President Harry S Truman Russia's generalisimo Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill as Britain's prime minister 5,000 m away in the German city of potam the Allies were meeting for one last conference to discuss the post-war division of Germany as well as the all important question of how to bring an end to the war with Japan it would be at this conference that Truman received the most important news of his entire presidency with word coming in of oppenheimer's successful nuclear test with such a powerful weapon now in American hands Truman would have a clear and direct

route to defeating Japan and so with the help of his allies prime minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain and chairman changai Sheek of China Truman would draft an ultimatum notably Soviet leader Joseph Stalin would not be included in the Declaration as his country was yet to declare war against Japan known as the Potsdam declaration it would outline the terms for Japan surrender and state the following we the president of the United States the president of the national government of the Republic of China and the Prime Minister of Great Britain representing the hundreds of millions of

our countrymen have confirmed and agree that Japan shall be given an opportunity to end this war the time has come for Japan to decide whether she will continue to be controlled by those self-willed militaristic advisers whose unintelligent calculations have brought the Empire of Japan to the threshold of annihilation or whether she will follow the path of Reason following are our terms we will not deviate from them there are no Alternatives we shall broke no delay number one we insist that a new order of Peace security and Justice will be impossible until the irresponsible militarism is

driven from the world number two points in Japanese territory to be designated by the Allies shall be occupied to secure the achievement of the basic objectives we are here setting forth number number three Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of honu Hokkaido kushu and shikaku and such minor Islands as we determine number four the Japanese military forces after being completely disarmed shall be permitted to return to their homes with the opportunity to lead peaceful and productive lives number five we do not intend that the Japanese shall be enslaved as a race or destroyed

as a nation but Stern Justice shall be Meed out to all war criminals including those who have visited cruelties Upon Our prisoners number six freedom of speech of religion and of thought as well as respect for the fundamental human rights shall be established number seven Japan shall be permitted to maintain such Industries as will sustain her economy but not those which would enable her to rearm for war the occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomplished and there has been established in accordance with the freely

expressed will of the Japanese people a peacefully inclined and responsible government we call upon the government of Japan to Proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action the alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction the Declaration would be issued on July 26th 1945 however after the first day there was still no response even after the second day and then the third there was still no response the Allies would hear nothing under the leadership of prime minister Suzuki the Japanese

considering the terms of the postam Declaration unacceptable and still unwilling to surrender had chosen to enact a policy of MOX satsu or killing with silence deciding to ignore the ultimatum altogether to the Japanese giving no response at all was in fact a response it was a complete dismissal of the terms this would leave Truman with very few options he would now have to consider using the atomic bomb with many factors Weighing on his mind choosing to drop an atomic bomb was sure to lead to the deaths of tens if not hundreds of thousands of Japanese

civilians from both the blast and the resulting nuclear fallout but for Truman and American strategists there were several reasons why this was the preferred option number one it would hasten the ends to the war for Truman the primary reason to use the bomb would be to bring the war to an end as quickly as possible at this point the war with Japan had been dragging on for almost 4 years and with Germany now defeated and the conflict in Europe at an end there were concerns that there might not be enough public public support for another

costly war in the East the use of an atomic bomb a weapon of unimaginable destruction Truman believed would be something that even the most fanatical Japanese generals were unable to ignore if anything was to make them surrender this new weapon would be it number two it would save American lives ending the war early would also eliminates the need for a costly land invasion of Japan operation downfall was estimated to cost upwards of 700,000 American casualties along with the deaths of tens of millions of Japanese civilians the use of a nuclear bomb it was therefore argued

would bring the war to an end with a far smaller loss of life as it was estimated to cause hundreds of thousands of deaths as opposed to tens of millions if a land Invasion went ahead how could Truman tell American families that their sons were going to war when he had an atomic weapon at his disposal Not only would the use of the bomb hastened the Ender the war and save American lives it also had additional benefits with the third being it would prevent Soviet expansion into East Asia another Factor influencing Truman would be the

growing tensions with the Soviet Union who at this time had remained neutral in the war against Japan however at this point Stalin had taken over almost half of Europe with his territory extending from the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea with the threat of Communism spreading to the West seeming ever more likely with Soviet puppet government being put in place across Eastern Europe tensions were beginning to grow and the Allies were beginning to see Stalin as more of an enemy than a friend for those who had liberated Europe from Nazi Germany in the hope to create

free and independent state it was beginning to appear that they had simply replaced one dictator for another this Truman believed could not be allowed to happen in Asia Soviet influence could not be allowed to expand any further dropping the atomic bomb and bringing the war to a quick end would therefore deny stalling the time needed to invade and Conquer East Asia meaning that unlike in Europe the United States would have control over the post-war division of the region number four a display of power the use of the bomb would also have a secondary effect it

would signal to the world and in particular the Soviets that the Americans had a weapon of mass destruction and they were not afraid to use it it was a warning to Stalin of the danger he faced if he was to consider war with the United States not only this but with the atomic bomb at their disposal the United States would secure their place as the leader of the new world order that was to emerge after the war these reasons were ultimately enough to convince Truman to use the atomic bomb against Japan with both Stalin and

Churchill and improving its use a list of targets was then drawn up that would in the words of General Leslie Groves most adversely affect the will of the Japanese people to continue the war the list would contain major Urban centers that up to this point had escaped American firebombing as it was hoped that their destruction would best demonstrate the full extent of the bomb's power the document also stipulated that the target should be located in a reasonably large urban area it should lie on the Japanese main Island area between Tokyo and Nagasaki and that it

should possess High strategic value meeting all of these criteria would be the city of Hiroshima which would then be selected as the first Target for a nuclear attack located on the main Japanese island of honu and home to nearly 340,000 people it was hoped that its destruction would finally convince the Japanese that they had no other choice but to surrender with Hiroshima now confirmed as the target a 9,000 atomic bomb nicknamed little boy would be transported to the Pacific where it had arrive on the island of tinian in the northern Marianas the man chosen to

transport the bomb would be Colonel Paul tibbit who had pilot a b29 super Fortress named anola gay after his mother taking off at 245 a.m. on August 6th 1945 the anola gay would make a 6-hour trip before arriving in the skies above Hiroshima that morning just before 11:15 a.m. the plane's Bombay doors would swing open with a little boy making its way down to the city below 600 yard from the ground and directly above shima's Surgical Clinic the world's first atomic bomb to be dropped on a civilian population was detonated within seconds an enormous flash

of white light burst out from the city center before a fireball hotter than the surface of the Sun in incinerated everything in its vicinity shock waves of unbelievable Force followed destroying buildings and roads for miles around with radioactive dust and soot soon filling the air a mushroom cloud now towered over the city reaching 55,000 ft high with a nola gaze co-pilot only writing two words in his log book as he looked back at the explosion my God in just a couple of seconds more than half of Hiroshima had been a viser ated and some 880,000

civilians had perished many more would die in the following days weeks and years a severe burns under the harmful effects of radiation began to take its toll following the bombing Truman would release a message broadcasting a warning to Japan live for the world to hear if they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of Ruin from the air the like of which has never been seen on this Earth behind this Air Attack will follow sea and land forces in such numbers and power as they have not yet seen and with the

fighting skill of which they are already well aware radio messages were also broadcast to Japan every 15 minutes warning that more cities would be targeted unless an immediate surrender was received and urging Japanese civilians to evacuate all major cities before they fell to the same fate as Hiroshima 3 days would pass and yet with all this destruction with all this loss of life there was still no signs of Japan's willingness to [Music] surrender and so on the morning of August 9th a second plane boxu would be launched from the island of tinan piloted by General

Charles W Sweeney it would carry fat man an atomic bomb with the destructive power equal to 21 kilotons of TNT making it 40% more powerful than the bomb that had destroyed Hiroshima this time flying to the Japanese island of kushu the bomb was set to be dropped on the city of kakura as it had a substantial civilian population of over 130,000 people and contained one of the largest arsenals in all of Japan as sween's plane approached kakura however he would find it heavily obscured by pollution from the city's factories as well as smoke drifting over

from the neighboring city of yahata which had been firebombed by American Pilots the previous day three bombing runs would be made in an attempt to deliver the nuclear payload but each time visibility would be too poor to make the strike and with the threat of being shot down by Japanese anti-aircraft fire growing greater with each attempt the decision was made to abandon kakura altogether and instead head to the secondary Target the port city of Nagasaki with a population of over 200,000 people Nagasaki was an industrial city with a rich history of trade with the West

with the Portuguese in the late 1500s having helped transform the one small fishing Village into Japan's Chief port for international trade it would be here that tobacco firearms and Christianity were all first introduced to the island nation with its remaining the most europeanized and Christian City in all of Japan however Nagasaki was also home to Mitsubishi shipyards steel works and torpedo factories as well as storage facilities for weapons and Munitions and so on the morning of August 9th 1945 with no clouds obstructing his view General Sweeney would release fat man with it detonating at 11:02

a.m. over Nagasaki in less than a second the blast leveled the city's Center and vaporized 35,000 people while more powerful than the bomb at Hiroshima much more of the city would manage to survive as the hill surrounding the point of the explosion mitigated the effects of the resulting shock wve and Fireball even so tens of thousands more would later die as a direct result of their injuries or the effects of radiation in total the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki would claim over 200,000 lives with the two cities being wiped out in the blink

of an eye it was a scale of Destruction never before seen in history with a single bomb able to eviscerate an entire city within seconds the world would now wait to hear Japan's response would their government still remain silent would they watch on as more cities even Tokyo itself was wiped from the face of the Earth just what would it take for the Japanese to surrender no one knew for certain but the world would soon get its answer [Music] by the time the atomic bombs fell in August 1945 Japan's defeat was clear to all but

the most fanatical generals its once vast Empire lay in Ruins its Navy and Air Force were decimated and its population faced starvation under a crippling us blockade American firebombing had Unleashed destruction across the country claiming over 260,000 lives and leaving 13 million people homeless the Relentless aerial bombardments continued with nearly daily raids devastating The Battered Nation although some government figures particularly foreign minister Shori Togo now favored a diplomatic resolution to the war they were outnumbered by Hardline militarists who continue to dictate Japan's policy peace discussions remained covert and centered on unrealistic terms that would never

be accepted by the Allies the Japanese government was effectively under the control of the military and even if Emperor hito himself favored surrender he lacked the legal authority to enforce it without the backing of key military leaders the Magi restoration of the 19th century had established the Emperor as the Divine ruler of Japan in theory the emperor now appointed all senior members of the military and government and led the Japanese Armed Forces during times of war in reality however the emperor was only a figurehead who wielded little political power and instead simply rubber stamped the

decisions of military and government officials who had formulated policies without his input by the time Emperor hito came to the throne in 1926 Japanese politics was spiraling into chaos Just 4 years into his Reign and with State Shinto having spread throughout military acmis the military had an almost complete Monopoly over culture and government policy with those who spoke out against their influence often finding themselves assassinated as the decades passed and the Second World War began this culture of fear had become the norm with the military's policy of No Surrender under any circumstances going completely unchallenged

with those favoring peace having either been killed or too fearful to openly voice their opinions peace for the military was simply not an option they would even [Music] consider during the critical months in 1945 where Japan faced starvation Invasion and nuclear destruction the decision to surrender would lie with the SU Supreme Council for the direction of the war also known as the big six it would be these men who would ultimately decide the fate of Japan were the unanimous consensus needed from all members of the council in order for a policy of surrender to be

accepted all six men would have to agree if peace was to be attained four of the council's six positions were held by military leaders minister of War Ki K anami minister of the Navy mitsu yonai chief of the army general staff Yoshi Jiro umzu and chief of the Navy general staff soya Toyota these men staunchly opposed surrender and advocated for continuing the war despite knowing the odds of victory was slim they envisioned a decisive final battle on Japanese soil hoping to inflict heavy Allied casualties to force peace negotiations on favorable terms the fifth member of

the council was prime minister ano Suzuki a former Admiral who recognized the dire situation Japan was in and leaned towards a diplomatic solution that could salvage some national sovereignty and honor however Suzuki was unwilling to openly defy the Army and Navy ministers and so would continue to align with them on a stance of No Surrender the sixth and final council member foreign minister Shori Togo stood alone as the only man not to have served in the military and the sole advocate for a negotiated piece however aware of the potential repercussions toga remained discreet in his

views and cautiously advocated terms that were unlikely to provoke the military ministers the council reported directly to Emperor hito who personally attended the meetings to observe their deliberations while his opinion would hold great sway the emperor would rarely speak with his role being simply to rubber stamp whatever legislation or proposals the council put forward upon the emperor's request his closest adviser koichi Kido the Lord Keeper of the privy seal would also attend meetings Kido served as hitto's eyes and ears observing the council's deliberations and ensuring the emperor remained informed of their decisions while he could

convey the emperor's concerns and opinions to the council Kido lacked the authority to directly influence their decisions even after the firebombing of Tokyo with the city in flames and more than 100,000 dead Japanese resolve was unshaken as radio Tokyo broadcast to the nation the Big Sky is protected with iron defenses for young and old it is time to stand up we are loaded with the honor of defending the Homeland come on enemy planes come on many times but although the media had projected a confident message to the public cracks were starting to appear and doubts

both in government and in the Supreme Council were emerging questioning whether Japan could seriously continue the war for much longer with Japan now in a dire situation prime minister Suzuki would order cabinet secretary sakam misu to discreetly compose a study of Japan's last remaining resources to see if there was any hope of winning the war Gathering both both military and civilian experts from across all vital Industries the sakuu report would highlight the extent to which Japan's economy was on the brink of collapse with its findings being far worse than anyone had imagined steel production was

less than 100,000 tons per month 70% below the official estimate along with the lack of coal having cut the production of Munitions in half a lack of resources had also cut aircraft production to only 30% of potential output with the entire transportation system on the brink of collapse due to fuel shortages and a lack of Manpower as the sakom Mizu report predicted in weeks there would be no rail transportation between cities construction of seal ships would end and the chemical industry would collapse to make matters worse the American submarine blockade had reduced shipping Imports by

over 1 million tons and with oil reserves now unable to be replenished desperate attempts were made made to make aviation fuel from pine trees the population 2 was on the brink of starvation and coupled with the smallest rice harvest in nearly 50 years the government had resorted to trying to turn acorns into food the official daily food russan of 1500 calories was also not being met with the average citizen only consuming 500 calories a day 2/3 below the minimum Japanese standard those in cities who were far away from fertile land suffered the most with Millions

traveling into the countryside each Sunday to barter their jewelry furniture and anything they had of value in exchange for sweet potatoes vegetables and fruit the scko Mizu report was eventually presented to the Supreme Council on May 12th with its damning implications taking most by surprise Admiral Yoni would now make a suggestion that if he had made a week earlier would have had him immediately expelled from the council the report was was so damning and Japan's position so weak that he proposed that they ask Russia to mediate a settlement of the war The Forbidden subject of

Peace was at last out in the open with the sakuu report having provided the excuse needed for the discussions of surrender to begin with the notion of peace now able to be freely debated all men agreed to keep their discussions about the topic within the confines of the room with the military leaders especially concerned that the Armed Forces should not find out as it would seriously shake their morale and could potentially lead to a coup against the council itself Switzerland Sweden China and even the Vatican were now all discussed as possible mediators but the council

agreed that these channels would only end in the Allied demand for unconditional surrender umzu the Army Chief of Staff saw the Soviet Union as the best option for Japan with a Nami the war minister of green the Soviets they believed would prefer a strong Japan to emerge from the war that could act as a buffer between their territories in Asia and the United States with the Soviets mediating on their behalf they would also not have to consider the possibility of unconditional surrender and could bring the war to an end on their own terms Togo believed

that umzu and anami were being unrealistic the matter of Japan must have been discussed at the Yola conference he said so it is probably hopeless to try and get the Soviets on our side now judging from past Russian actions I think it's even going to be difficult to keep her from joining the war it would be better in my opinion to negotiate directly with the United States for a ceasefire however Suzuki sided with the generals believing that Stalin would make every effort to help them if they asked Togo realizing the Army would only be willing

to negotiate through the Russians alone capitulated and agreed to help write up a memorandum to send to the Soviets it should be clearly made known to Russia that she owes her victory over Germany to Japan since we remained neutral and that it would be to the advantage of the Soviets to help Japan maintain her International position since they may have the United States as an enemy in the future with the message sent to Moscow Togo instructed former foreign minister koki heroa to go meets with Soviet Ambassador Yakov Malik who was stationed just a 2-hour driveway

on the outskirts of Tokyo hoto would inform Malik of Japan's desire to maintain friendly relations with the Soviet Union after their neutrality pact which had been signed four years ago in 1941 had expired he also stated that this attitude was not just his but crucially that of the Imperial government Malik responded that the Soviet Union had respected The Pact and had consistently maintained a peaceful policy towards Japan but that his nation's distrust for Japan was still a prominent position among Soviet leaders based on their na clashes in the past and a general anti-soviet feeling amongst

the Japanese population as such he would need a few days to think about Hero's proposition heroa believed that the Russians were inherently cautious and that the meeting had gone well reporting back to Togo the Russian side responded satisfactorily and the conversations looked hopeful however hopes for a Soviet mediated peace were aggressively shut down just the following morning on June 6th as the Supreme Council met again to discuss the war the military leaders submitted a document that would crush any hopes of peace or negotiation entitled the fundamental policy to be followed henceforth in the conduct of

the war it outlined the Army's initial plan of engaging the enemy on their own Shores and fighting to the last man with a faith born of Eternal loyalty is our inspiration we shall thanks to the advantages of our terrain and the unity of our nation prosecute the War to The Bitter End in order to uphold our coku Thai protect the Imperial land and Achieve our goals of Conquest Togo having not been consulted on this proposal was Furious stating that if approved would mean the total Destruction of Japan however Toyota and anami put up Fierce resistance

to Togo's remarks and argued that the war must continue Toyota stated even if the Japanese people are weary of the war we must fight to the last man and general anami exclaimed if we cannot fulfill our responsibility as advisers to the throne we should offer a sincere apologies by committing hadak Kitty another hour of intense debate followed but without any support Togo was forced to concede and the resolution for Japan to fight to The Bitter End was passed on their way out of the meeting Togo confronted Admiral yonai I expected support from you today he

complained but I got none the search for peace had ended as abruptly as it had started the fanaticism of those in the military had won and the war would now go [Music] on the only thing left to do now was to make the policy official and so 2 days later on June 8th an imperial conference was scheduled where the emperor approved the Supreme council's resolution however as he emerged from the meeting a grave look appeared on the emperor's face Kido Lord Keeper of the privy seal asked what was wrong hito then handed him a copy

of the new policy and stated they have made this decision Kido was shocked Not only would the plan bring about Japan's downfall but it had also undermined hitto's confidence in Suzuki and Togo's ability to direct the council towards peace something he believed must be done however as Kido was only an adviser to the emperor and tradition required he not get directly involved with politics his options were scarce he believed the initiative for peace should ideally come from the Army however since there were no signs of this happening drastic measures were called for the emperor himself

Kido believed was the only figure no one could oppose and his direct intervention was now needed to save the nation staying up all night formulating a plan the following morning kido collected his thoughts in a paper entitled tentative plan to cope with the situation and at 1:30 that afternoon he presented himself to the emperor under the circumstances I consider any peace move almost impossible but I will with his Majesty's gracious permission try to address myself to the problem these are my ideas the first part of the document highlighted the current situation Japan was in indicating

that it was very unlikely that they could must the necessary resources in order to to continue the war moreover it pointed out that the devastation brought about by American bombing raids and the growing food shortages Across the Nation were creating the conditions for civil unrest to emerge it also made clear that the security of the royal family and retention of Japan's national Essence must be maintained if surrender is to be agreed upon lastly it stated that Japan would have to remove its troops from all occupied territories and to be prepared to accept significant arms reduction

agreements having read over the document hito was satisfied with all the points with Kido then asking him if he could have permission to discuss the proposals with other ministers in order to get their support hito concurred and stated do it at once their support and especially that of key men in the cabinet was crucial before the emperor could become actively involved over the next few days Kido would approach Admiral yonai prime minister Suzuki and foreign minister Togo and discussed with them the possibility of Peace although some of them would continue to spout A minitar View

to the public privately they had also begun to have doubts over Japan's ability to continue fighting Togo was especially Overjoyed by kido's proposals and stated if the emperor were to say now that we should work to end the war without delay for there could be no greater Aid to the attainment of my purpose than such words from the throne Kido would also approach General anami and in inform him of the entire peace plan anami stated that although he agreed with it in principle he still believed that it would be more advantageous for Japan to sue

for peace only after the United States has sustained heavy losses in the mainland Beach operation so although anami would not support kido's plan he pledged not to oppose it too vigorously when it was brought before The Supreme Council with support from three members of the Supreme Council now attained Kido had the back in he had been hoping for and so on June 22nd hito abruptly summonsed the big six to the auno annex an air raage shelter located in the palace ground when all men had arrived hito spoke first and stated this is not an imperial

command but merely a discussion at the last meeting of the Supreme Council it was decided to adopt a new policy and prepare the Homeland for defense but now I have deemed it necessary to consider move toward peace an unprecedented one and I ask you to take steps at once to realize my wish it was an unprecedented moment the emperor in these meetings rarely spoke so for him now to talk openly about seeking peace was a drastic turn of events the possibility of negotiations were now going to have to be fully explored [Music] the negotiations hiroa

had pursued with Soviet Ambassador Malik had gone nowhere and the Japanese government's further attempts to contact the Soviets had been ignored Emperor hito believed something more would have to be done he would have to send a special Convoy including someone of a higher rank if the Soviets were to take their proposals seriously and so on July 12th Prince coner was summoned to Tokyo from his summer home in kazawa once he had made his way to the auno annex hito asked him a question what do you think should be done about the war the people are

tired of War cono replied they all wish his majesty would condescend to act in their behalf and do something to relieve their plight there are even those who say his majesty is to blame it is necessary to end the war as soon as possible glad to hear that conier also thought the war should be brought to an end hito told him that he should begin to make preparations to for Moscow as con prepared for his journey a message was sent to Ambassador naaki sat who is stationed in the Russian Capital informing him of the prince's

imminent departure his majesty is extremely anxious to terminate the war as soon as possible being deeply concerned that any further continuation of hostilities will only aggravate The Untold miseries of the millions upon millions of innocent men and women in the countries at War should however the United States States and Great Britain insist on unconditional surrender Japan would be forced to fight to The Bitter End with all her might in order to vindicate her honor and Safeguard her National existence which to our intense regret would entail further Bloodshed our government therefore desires to negotiate for a

speedy restoration of Peace prompted as we sincerely are by solicitude for the welfare of mankind for this purpose Prince coner will proceed to Moscow with a person message from the emperor and it is requested that the Soviet government kindly provide him with travel facilities Ambassador Sato would pass the message along although privately he harbored doubts that the Soviets had any reason to agree to receive a special Envoy Stalin he believed would deliberately ignore the message for as long as possible and had no intention of helping the Japanese government sue for peace the Supreme Council however

were hopeful and believed that Salin would eventually come to their assistance but for now Japanese hopes of bringing the war to an end on their terms were in the hands of the Soviet Union however while they waited for a response military leaders were finalizing their plans for the defense of the Homeland Operation Decision or ketu go under ketu go more than 10,000 planes had been collected with 2/3 of them to be used in kamakazi strikes against the American Fleet in nushu with the other third being kept in reserve to repel any Landings near the capital

of Tokyo on the ground the plan was to destroy any American Landings as soon as they came ashore onto the beaches with a total of 2.5 million troops being prepared to oppose the landings Behind These troops lay another 4 million Army and Navy civilian employees as well as a special Garrison force of 250,000 men if all else failed the largest force would be the entire civilian population of Japan with men between the ages of 15 to 60 years old and women between 17 to 45 all expected to pick up whatever arms they could to fight

the Americans one military spokesperson even showed Suzuki a display of weapons that the population were expected to fight with which included muzzle loading rifles and bamboo sticks cut into Spears stacked beside bows and arrows from feudal times the Japanese were Resolute if a land Invasion were to occur they would inflict as much damage as humanly possible against the American Landing [Music] forces with negotiations still stalling with the Soviet Union and military leaders finalizing their plans for the defense of the home Island on the morning of July 27th the Japanese for the first time received news

of the potam Declaration outlining the terms by which the Allies would accept a Japanese surrender Togo receiving the news first would bring it directly to the emperor and suggested that they treat the Declaration with caution however Admiral Toyota dismissed it entirely and suggested that a statement should be immediately released stating that the government regarded the declar a as absurd and would not consider it arguments about what to do and how to respond were all debated but all members of the Supreme Council agreed that the proclamation needed to be announced in the newspapers the military advocated

for an official rejection to accompany the announcement however Suzuki argued for greater caution instead wishing simply to ignore it they would ultimately reach a compromise and allowed an edited version of The Declaration to be published although it would have to be released without any additional commentary or criticism the following day however the newspapers had completely ignored the council's directions and would release the Declaration alongside inflammatory headlines that refer to it as a laughable matter with the Asahi shiman declaring since the joint Declaration of America Britain and Chung King is a thing of no great moment

it will merely serve to re-enhance the government's resolve to carry the war forward unfalteringly to a successful conclusion these provocative statements would now Force the council to publicly declare their position with prime minister Suzuki making an official statement the potam proclamation in my opinion is just a rehash of the Cairo declaration and the government therefore does not consider it of great importance we must mock satsu it it was a carefully crafted statement designed to belittle the Allied terms without explicitly rejecting them however while Suzuki had intended for the term Mok satsu to interpreted as the

English phrase no comment for which there was no direct Japanese translation the Americans would take a more literal translation Mo satsu to them simply meant to kill with silence which they saw as a complete and utter rejection of the potam Declaration as the New York Times headline read on July 30th Japan officially turns down Allied surrender ultimatum unknown to the Japanese Suzuki's statement had just sealed the fate of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki despite Suzuki's intentions for the Allies their ultimatum had been met with mockery by the Japanese press and a complete dismissal by their prime

minister nuclear bombs would now be used to force Japan to [Music] capitulate however their Ambassador in Moscow now ai Sato would not deliver them the news they had been hoping for after 5 days days of stalling the Soviet government rejected the emperor's request for Prince coner to be sent as a special Envoy a clear message had been sent the Soviets had no interest in negotiating on Japan's behalf with his previous thoughts now confirmed Ambassador Sato would send a message to Tokyo where he would attempt to persuade them that the Soviets had no intention of helping

I believe that Stalin feels that there is absolutely no necessity for making a voluntary agreement with Japan on this point I see a serious discrepancy between your view and the actual State of Affairs even after this however Japan's leaders were unable to face reality and believed that the Soviet Union would in time still come to their assistance it would prove to be a fatal [Music] mistake while the Japanese waited desperately for Russian assistance little boy America's first atomic bomb to be used against Japan would be dropped on the city of Hiroshima America's use of the

bomb which had wiped out the city in an instant claiming the lives of 880,000 people would come as a great shock to foreign minister Togo who immediately advocated for an acceptance of the potam Declaration the introduction of American nuclear weaponry he argued drastically Alters the whole military situation and offers the milit milary ample grounds for ending the war this argument however would fall on deaf ears with military leaders failing to see the destruction of an entire city as a major cause for concern war minister anami was unconvinced that the bomb was even Atomic suspecting it

could be an American trick and so demanded that a nuclear specialist be sent to investigate the legitimacy of the claims at once Dr yoshio Nash the nation's leading nuclear scientist and Lieutenant General SEO arisu the chief of intelligence were then sent to Hiroshima to investigate what had happened to the city as their plane approached the city both men would look out of the window but what they saw was not what they had expected to see the general had seen many Cities laid waste by fire bombings usually there was smoldering debris smoke from emergency kitchens and

some signs of human activity but below him stretched a lifeless desert no smoke no fires nothing there wasn't a street in sight with no Landing Strip visible the pilots turned around and shouted sir this is supposed to be Hiroshima what should we do land said the general their plane eventually touched down with Dr n beginning to study the city almost immediately however he would come to the inevitable conclusion an atomic bomb was the only thing powerful enough to have caused such destruction n findings would be relayed back to Tokyo confirming that an atomic bomb had

indeed been used an immediate audience with the Soviets was now Japan's top priority the bombing of Hiroshima had made a Soviet mediated pece more urgent than ever with Togo immediately sending a cable to Ambassador Sato in Moscow the situation is becoming so acute that we must have clarification of the Soviet attitude as soon as possible please make further efforts to obtain a reply immediately following this urgent request Sato would meet with Soviet foreign minister veslav Molotov that same day on August 8th although the two were on friendly terms Molotov had been avoiding sat for weeks

and when satto entered the Soviet Minister's office that afternoon his worst suspicions would be confirmed without even giving Sato a chance to speak Molotov would get straight down to business I have here in the name of the Soviet Union a notification to the Japanese government which I wish to communicate to you after the defeat and capitulation of hitlerite Germany Japan Remains the only great power which still stands for the continuation of the war the demand of the three powers of July 26 for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Armed Forces was rejected Ed by Japan

thus the proposal made by the Japanese government to the Soviet Union for mediation in the Far East has lost all Foundation true to its obligation as an ally the Soviet government has accepted the proposal of the allies and has joined in the Declaration of the Allied powers of July 26 in view of the above the Soviet government declares that from tomorrow that is from August 9th the Soviet Union will consider herself in a state of war against Japan that same night just a few hours after the news had been broken to sat Soviet forces marched

their way into manua under the command of Marshall vasileski 1.6 million troops who had been secretly deployed to The Manchurian border over the past few months would now face off against Japan's Quant Tang Army a force half their size and who had been stripped of most of their defensive equipment to arm those fighting against the Americans as the clock struck midnight two Soviet armies would assault Manchuria from the West with another Force invading from Vladivostok in the East all three divisions would ultimately converge and before long had taken zitar tawanan and the City of Harin

Japan's kantang Army had been totally destroyed with many Soviet units only stopping once they had run out of fuel with the United States in possession of the atomic bomb and now the Soviet Union's entry into the war peace was something even the most fanatical of Japanese militarists would have to take more seriously whether they would now surrender however was still at this point anyone's guess the Soviet invasion would come as a shock to the big six and most of all Togo whose unrealistic expectations for a Soviet negotiated peace had completely vanished a upon hearing the

news Togo immediately visited Suzuki who without argument would simply State let us end the war and then proceeded to call an emergency meeting of the big six as all men gathered on August 9th to discuss the Soviet entry into the war it was 11:00 a.m. exactly 1 minute before Fatman was to fall on Nagasaki with hopes of a Soviet mediated peace now in Ruins Suzuki would open the meeting under the presence of circumstances I have concluded that our only alternative is to accept the postand proclamation and terminate the war I'd like to hear your opinions

on this Suzuki's words would shock the room with his sudden willingness to discuss peace stunning the council into silence then an even greater surprise occurred with Admiral yonai a member of the military expressing his desire for the topic of surrender to be openly discussed for the first time why are you all So Silent he asked asked we won't accomplish a thing unless we speak frankly it was at this moment a report was handed to the room stating that a second atomic bomb had been dropped on the city of Nagasaki the news would shock the men

in the room some such as Admiral Toyota had believed the Americans were bluffing about possessing more than just one atomic bomb but the fact that yet another city had been destroyed dispelled these Illusions and there now had to be serious consideration that other cities and especially to itself was now in danger the facts were undeniable Japan could not win the war with all men present agreen that the potam Declaration must be accepted however the terms by which the Declaration were to be accepted would be subject to hours of debate with no consensus emerging from the

discussions the room was split Togo Suzuki and yonai would favor the one condition offer which would see them accept the potam terms on the sole condition that the emperor be allowed to remain in power anami Azu and Toyota however still believed the Allied terms to be unacceptable even if hitto's position was maintained they instead argued for three additional terms to be added if they were to accept peace known as the for condition offer alongside the emperor and imperial system being maintained they would also insist on self- disarmament let the Army be demobilized by Japanese officers

themselves the right to try their own war criminals and above all that there be no Allied occupation of Japan Togo thought these proposals to be completely delusional and insisted that with Japan on the brink of Destruction the Allies would never accept such unrealistic terms anami however insisted that their proposals could be met all that was needed was one final battle on the mainland that would force America to accept their demands even after the Soviet Union had joined the war and two atomic bombs had been dropped on Japanese cities and Nami was still refusing to accept

the Allies demands after three hours of debate the terms by which they would accept the Potsdam declaration had not been decided with Suzuki calling an end to the meeting with neither side willing to give any ground to the other Suzuki realized that drastic measures would have to be taken in order to break the deadlock approaching Kido he would State there is but one solution we must ask the emperor to make the decision it was a remarkable statement although the emperor was powerful his role was only that of a figurehead with him able to ratify the

decisions of his government but not to initiate the policy himself nevertheless when Keo approached the emperor with Suzuki's suggestion he would find him receptive to the plan hito could see the reality of Japan's dire situation and had lost all confidence in the military's ability to achieve Victory against an American Invasion from his perspective there were few choices left with his intervention now being the only thing that could save [Music] Japan while the emperor spoke with Kido the entire Japanese cabinet would meet at 2:30 that afternoon where the debate over the terms of surrender would continue

in this meeting however a new fear had emerged with many discussing that Tokyo was to be the next Target of an atomic bomb anami would confirm these suspicions informing them that a recently captured American pilot Marcus mcdilda had revealed under interrogation that the United States possessed at least 100 atomic bombs and that Tokyo and Kyoto would be destroyed in the next few days unknown to the Japanese mcdilda had completely fabricated this information with him not having a clue about what atomic energy was or how many nuclear bombs the United States possessed with a Japanese officer

threatening to cut his head off mcdilda had said the first thing that came to his mind with his words inadvertently having caused a sense of urgency amongst the Japanese ministers unlike the others however rather than fearing this anami fanaticism would be put on full display with him arguing that it would be better that the entire Japanese race be wiped out than face the shame of surrender with him stating would it not be wondrous for this whole nation to be destroyed like a beautiful flower power but even here Japan's government would remain divided with the military

ministers supporting eni's proposal and the civilian ministers siding with Togo the only military leader who agreed they should not continue the war was Admiral yonai who argued that it was more important that Japan survived than it be completely destroyed with its honor intact therefore we must forget about face and surrender as quickly as possible and begin to consider at once how best to preserve the country other civilian ministers also supported peace with the Agricultural and commerce ministers highlighting that the population were on the verge of starvation and that the country no longer had the strength

needed to fight with the unanimous decision needed for anything to happen this meeting too would end in deadlock with the military leaders holding the entire cabinet Hostage to their demands [Music] with it now obvious that the cabinet were unable to reach a decision the last option available was to call upon the emperor himself arriving at the Imperial Palace Togo and Suzuki met with hito with Togo recounting the day's events and revealing that neither the Supreme Council nor the cabinet had come to a consensus to terminate the war according to Japanese law this required the cabinet

to resign and a new government to be formed a process that would delay peace and prolong the war even further but with the threat of a third nuclear attack on Tokyo now a possibility and wanting to reach a decision as soon as possible Suzuki suggested that hito convene an emergency Imperial conference right away with the emperor giving his approval it was an unprecedented move with the meeting creating the opportunity for the emperor to break protocol and directly intervene in the discussions with the meeting having been called the big six would be summoned yet again to

the auno annex the emperor's personal aid shelter within the annex they would be joined by Baron KIRO hiranuma a respected Elder Statesman and president of the privy Council the emperor's advisory body also joining the meeting would be Chief cabinet secretary sakam Mizu The Man Behind the sakam Mizu report whose findings had first allowed the subject of peace to be discussed several months ago with all men present they would take their places along two parallel tables in preparation for the emperor's arrival at 10 minutes to midnight hito would finally enter the abun annex and take his

seat on a small table into the end of the room the emperor was backed by a large dividing screen and his table covered with a golden cloth a reminder to all present of his authority and Divinity avoiding looking at the emperor directly each man would be presented with a copy of Togo's one condition offer with the Pont Stam declaration then being read aloud for all to hear with the formalities taken care of Suzuki then asked each member of the Supreme Council for a statement Togo was first to speak and like he had done in all

previous meetings insisted that the pdam Declaration should be accepted as long as the imperial system could be preserved and that any attempt to insist on further terms could jeopardize the entire peace process Admiral yonai concurred and stated I agree with foreign minister Togo how however yanai's acceptance of the one condition offer enraged anami who shouted I oppose the opinions of the foreign minister the Army he stated would not be able to surrender unless the Allies allow Japan to demobilize her own troops to try her own war criminals and to not allow an Allied occupation force

with tears now running down his cheeks the war minister pleaded yet again for there to be a final decisive battle in the Homeland I am quite sure we could inflict great casualties on the enemy and even if we fail in the attempt our 100 million people are ready to die for honor glorifying the Deeds of the Japanese race in recorded history coming to his support umzu stood up and exclaimed that while the Soviet entry into the war was unfavorable it did not affect the plan to fight in the Homeland with it being unacceptable to uncondition

and surrender when so many men had given their lives for the emperor umzu would only accept the the pot Stam declaration he stated if the four additional terms were agreed upon hiran Numa was next to speak with him giving a detailed overview of Japan's dire situation the Relentless bombing from the air he began the destruction of our transportation facilities our lack of ability to retaliate the food shortages the entry of the Soviets into the war and above all the atomic bomb make the continuation of the war something that will only prolong the suffering of our

people after 2 hours of debate and with it now past midnight the council was still in a deadlock with Suzuki getting to his feet and addressing the emperor directly we have been discussing this matter many hours without reaching a conclusion the situation is indeed serious but not a moment has been spent in vain we have no precedent and I find it difficult to do but with the greatest reverence I must now ask the emperor to express his wishes the other members of the council were shocked but when Suzuki got back to his seat the emperor

himself stood to address the men before him who all leaped to their feet and immediately bowed in his Direction with emotion in his voice hito would State I have given serious thoughts to the situation prevailing at home and abroad and have concluded that continuing the war means destruction for the nation and a prolongation of Bloodshed and cruelty in the world I cannot bear to see my innocent people suffer any longer ending the war is the only way to restore world peace and to relieve the nation from the terrible distress with which it is burdened I

was told by those advocating a continuation of hostilities that by June new divisions would be placed in fortified positions so that they would be ready for the Invader when he sorts to land it is now August and the fortifications still have not been completed there are those that say that the key to National survival in a decisive battle in the Homeland the experience of the past however show that there has always been a discrepancy between plans and performance it goes without saying that it is unbearable for me to see The Brave and loyal fighting men

of Japan disarmed it is equally unbearable that others who have rendered me devoted service should now be punished as instigators of the war nevertheless the time has come where we must bear the unbearable I swallow my own tears and give my sanction to the proposal to accept the Allied Proclamation on the basis outlined by the foreign minister by the time hito had finished speaking every man in the room had tears in his eyes with many sobbing uncontrollably their arms stretched out in front of them as they lent forward over the table Suzuki alongside his fellow

ministers then stood up and stated I have respectfully listened to his Majesty's gracious words his Majesty's decision should now be made the the unanimous decision of this conference although the emperor had no legal power to enforce his wishes his speech had effectively been a command and to the loyal Japanese ministers there was now no other option but to accept his decision all men present even anami and the war ministers would now give their approval for the acceptance of the potam Declaration on the sole condition that the emperor's position be maintained however even with the emperor's

wishes being expressed the process of surrender would not come about easily the first order of business was to inform the Americans of their decision with the foreign Ministry dispatching two cables that morning with one sent to Sweden and the other to Switzerland receiving the Japanese response on the morning of August 10th the Americans would be taken by surprise as they weren't expecting even after two atomic bombs for a Japanese surrender to come so soon working quickly President Truman gave the task of formulating a response to Secretary of State James F Burns who would now face

a difficult task the Japanese had asked for an explicit guarantee of The Emperor's position but accepting their terms outright could threaten America's Authority when they began the occupation of Japan whereas a simple rejection of The Proposal could cause public outcry at home with the population in favor favor of ending the war as quickly as possible with this in mind Burns would write a response that attempted to balance these conflicting priorities from the moment of surrender the authority of the emperor and the Japanese government to rule the state shall be subject to the supreme commander of

the Allied Powers who will take such steps as he deems proper to effectuate the surrender terms the ultimate form of government of Japan shall in accordance with the ponam Declaration be established by the freely expressed will of the Japanese people the Armed Forces of the Allied Powers will remain in Japan until the purpose is set forth in the potam Declaration are achieved the note made no explicit promises so that America would not be seen to be going back on the terms of the potam Declaration it did however imply that the imperial institution would be protected

if that was the will of the Japanese people with Burns hoping that this would be enough to convince Japan's leaders to accept his response Tokyo would receive Burns's note in the early hours of August 12th with the lack of any explicit guarantee of The Emperor's position causing immediate outrage amongst the Japanese leadership anami and Azu argued that they should outright reject the proposal but continue to seek further negotiations they were now in a state of total delusion believing believing that Japan could still fight one last great battle against the combined powers of the United States

Britain China and the Soviet Union even Suzuki had changed tune with him now arguing that Japan must reject the note and continue the war if the Allied Powers refused to guarantee the survival of the imperial system Suzuki's position would not last long however after the meeting was over he was handed a note from Japan's Embassy in Sweden which stated that the Allies would Harden not soften their terms if the notes was rejected Kido would also come to comfort Suzuki stating that millions of Innocents would die of bombing and starvation if the war continued and reminded

him that it was the emperor's wish to bring the war to an end Admiral yonai on the other hand had not changed his position while also outraged at Burns's response he warns the emperor that failing to accept the terms would leave him exposed to a domestic Revolt I think the term is in appropriate but the atomic bombs and the Soviet entry into the war are in a sense gifts from the gods this way we don't have to say that we have quit the war because of domestic circumstances a civilian Uprising and a potential coup were

now on the horizon events that could topple the Imperial family's power bringing the war to a swift end and establishing order was now Hero's top priority while the debate amongst the ministers raged on outrage over the American response spread throughout the military with a group of officers approaching anami and asking him for his support to launch a coup led by Major Kenji hatanaka the plan was to overthrow the government to ensure that no surrender could take place and a result in the potam Declaration being rejected while anami refused to give his Blessing he would also

do nothing to stop them with the officers finalizing their plans over the next couple of days [Music] fanaticism would not just be limited to hatanaka and his men however on the evening of August 13th while umzu Toyota and Togo were in a meeting Admiral takiro onishi father of the kamakaris and the vice chief of Naval general staff burst into the room let us formulate a plan for certain Victory obtain the empress sanction and throw ourselves into bringing the plan to realization if we are prepared to sacrifice 20 million Japanese lives in a special attack effort

Victory will be ours it would be a sentiment many in the Navy and army were harboring at that moment a score of b29 bombers released thousands of leaflets over Tokyo outlining the full text of the government's offer to surrender and Burns's response as Kido picked one up his face was overcome with concern the leaflets had revealed to the entire Palace government and all those in the military of what was going on behind closed doors with the Revelation that they had been seeking to surrender now exposing the government to coups assassination attempts and total breakdown realizing

that Swift action was NOW essential Kido immediately met with the emperor and Suzuki the emperor now realized what had to be done and agreed to call a conference in which he would order under Imperial command for the cabinets to accept Burns's note speed was of the essence as morning came on August 14th both Kido and the emperor knew that the day would end in either a military coup and collapse of the government or the acceptance of Peace assembling Japan's most senior Military Officers at 10:20 that morning the emperor would begin the final Imperial conference where

the fate of Japan would be decided in attendance would be field Marshall sha Ruku Hatter the commander of the second General Army Hatter commanded all of the troops defending the south of Japan that would be responsible for the last decisive battle anami was hoping for with the military ministers and many of the young officers awaiting his statement which they believed would sway the conference in favor of War however to the horror of anami and the other officers hat would state that he had no confidence in being able to repel an enemy Invasion and that the

emperor was correct for wanting to accept the Potsdam declaration Hatter's speech was the final nail in the coffin for those who hoped to prolong the war the emperor would follow up by stating that the Soviet declaration of war as well as the enemies scientific Power by which he meant the atomic bomb could not be stopped by special attack forces or one great last battle as such he requested that his field Marshals and Fleet Admirals respect his wishes and helped to bring the war to an immediate end having secured the Loyalty of the military hito would

return to his personal aid shelter shortly before 11:00 a.m. where he would address the entire assembled cabinet the Supreme councilors and the other senior officials of his Government after listening to the arguments of both sides the emperor would give his final judgment I have listened carefully to each of the arguments presented in opposition to the view that Japan should accept the Allied reply as it stand and without further clarification or modification but my own thoughts have not undergone any change I have surveyed the conditions prevailing in Japan and in the World At Large and it

is my belief that a continuation of the war promises nothing but additional destruction I have studied the terms of the Allied reply and have concluded that they constitute a virtually complete acknowledgment of the position we maintained in the note dispatched several days ago in short I consider the reply to be acceptable in order that the people may know of my decision I request you to prepare at Once An Imperial rescript so that I may broadcast to the nation finally I call upon each and every one of you to exert himself to the utmost so that

we may meet the trying days which lie ahead the speech had left the emperor and every man in the room sobbing convening immediately the cabinet unanimously agreed to pass the emperor words into law with all min are fixing their signature to the document of surrender by 11:00 that evening the transportation Minister arrived with him providing the final signature that was needed surrender was Now official the foreign Ministry then transmitted the official words to the Japanese diplomats in Sweden and Switzerland who in turn relayed the message to the United States Great Britain the Soviet Union and

China with surrender having been Unthinkable barely a week ago and the cult of State Shinto having a tight hold on Japanese Society there were fears that the population would not believe or follow the government's decision to surrender the only option it was decided was to have the emperor deliver the news himself it was an unprecedented action as the population had never before heard his voice nevertheless it was something that had to be done if peace was to be attained as no one would dare go against a direct command from the Emperor who most believed at

the time to be a living God at 11:00 p.m. that evening hito made a gramophone recording of his speech with assistance of technicians from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation otherwise known as the NHK with the recording completed only two copies were made on small 10-in discs which were then handed to a court Chamberlain for safekeeping the speech itself was set to be broadcast the next day however there would be one final attempt by fanatical members of the military to stop his announcement [Music] despite the emperor's command to bring the war to an end anami and other

members of the military were already beginning to have second thoughts approaching umzu the war minister would ask do you believe the war should be continued even at the risk of launching a cudar umzu answer was firm no it is impossible because the decision of his majesty the emperor has already been given launching a catar in complete Defiance of The Emperor's decision will first of all invite a split within military circles moreover the nation will not follow us there is nothing we can do now but to comply with the emperor's decision while this would ultimately be

enough to convince aami to stay loyal to the emperor a number of his supporters led by Major Kenji hatanaka would not be able to show the same restraint after failing to gain aami support hatanaka had spent the past several days planning to launch a coup of his own with him seeing no choice but to put these plans into action when he learned of the news that the emperor was to record and broadcaster speech announcing Japan surrender hatanaka plan would be put into motion just before 11:00 p.m. when he would arrive at the palace grounds in

the center of Tokyo intent on finding and destroying any copies of the emperor speech before it could be broadcast to the public hito himself having retired to the abun annex had wisely ordered the only two copies of the recording to be hidden in case the military attempted to destroy them with them being placed in a small safe on the second floor of the household Ministry building making his way past the abun annex hatanaka and his associates would head towards the office of Lieutenant General teshi Mori the commander of the Imperial guards whose support would be

essential if hatanaka was to take control of the palace grounds when he arrived at Mor's office however hatanaka would be frustrated to find that the old General was unwilling to betray the emperor and so took out his pistol and shot Mory in the head picking up the general seal hatanaka would use it to issue a set of forged orders to the Palace guards just after 1:30 a.m. ordering them to occupy the palace grounds and impose a total lockdown within minutes all of the gates in and out of the complex were closed seing the emperor and

everyone else inside with hatanaka sending out search part parties to find and destroy the hidden recordings hatanaka and his men also had a hatred for the emperor advisers such as Togo Suzuki and Kido who they believed had misled him towards the decision to pursue peace with the assassination of these men being a secondary objective for the rebels Kido who was sleeping in the Imperial household Ministry was in the most immediate danger with him only escaping the insurgents by first disguising himself as a doctor and then making his way to an underground bank vault where he

would lock himself inside for the rest of the night a separate group of rebels was sent to the home of prime minister Suzuki who only survived due to a last minute warning from his colleague sakam Mizu believing Suzuki was inside the rebels would lock the doors and set the house Al light holding the firemen who soon arrived at gunpoint so they could not extinguish the blaze Suzuki having snuck out of his house only a minute earlier had made a narrow Escape but his life would still be under threat for the rest of the month would

be placed under police protection having to spend every night in a different bed the conspirators would an next Target Baron KIRO hiranuma for his involvement in the peace process who had also managed to escape through his back Garden just mere minutes before the soldier set his house on fire back at the palace things were starting to fall apart for hatanaka not only had he still failed to find the recordings but the eastern district Army the largest military force in the area had caught wind of the coup and were now s sending soldiers to put an

end to the Insurrection some of the rebels would seek support from war minister anami the most outspoken opponent of surrender and a man they thought would surely back their cause when they arrived at his residence next to the diet building however they would find a Nami preparing to take his own life unable to bring himself to listen to the emperor surrender speech that was set to be broadcast later that day and wanting to restore his honor anami had decided to follow in the footsteps of his Samurai ancestors by committing sepu slicing into his stomach with

a small blade and Nami the second most powerful man in Japan and the greatest opponent to peace would take his own life as the sun began to rise over Tokyo at 4:00 a.m. that morning the message he left simply stated I with my death humbly apologized to the emperor for the great crime no one knew whether the crime being referenced was losing the war or his suspected involvement in the coup after failing to find the emperor recordin or assassinate any major targets hatanaka Rebellion had begun to fall apart Having learned of the Rebellion General shizui

Tanaka commander of the eastern district Army had come to the Palace grounds personally and had managed to convince the rebellious soldiers to return home with the coup having completely collapsed by 8:00 that morning with his Rebellion having failed hatanaka would desperately seek to explain his actions to the Japanese people first by attempting to send out his own broadcast from the NH HK radio station and then when this failed by driving around the streets of Tokyo on a motorcycle throwing out leaflets that explained his motivations at 11:20 a.m. with the night of Mayhem now over hatanaka

would return to the Imperial Palace and take his life outside its Gates just 40 minutes before the emperor speech was to be broadcast to the nation while the coup had ultimately failed it revealed the extremes to which the military were willing to go in order to avoid surrender the Knight had almost ended in the assassination of Kido Suzuki and hiranuma and had hatanaka successfully stolen the recordings it may well have delayed the peace process even further and led to the loss of many more thousands of lives with the coup having failed and the recording intact

the emperor speech would be broadcast to the nation on August 15th at 12:00 in the afternoon all over Japan soldiers and civilians the young and old would gather to hear the voice of their Divine leader for the first time to our good and loyal subject after pondering deeply the general trends of the world and the actual condition obtaining in our Empire today we have decided to affect a settlement of the present situation by resorting to an extraordinary measure we have ordered our governments to communicate to the governments of the United States Great Britain China and

the Soviet Union that our Empire accepts the provisions of their joint declaration to strive for the common prosperity and happiness of all Nations as well as the security and well-being of our subjects is the solemn obligation which has been handed down by our Imperial ancestors and which we lay close to Heart indeed we declared war on America and Britain out of our sincere desire to ensure Japan's self-preservation and the stabilization of East Asia it being far from our thoughts to either infringe upon the sovereignty of other nations or to Embark upon territorial aggrandisement but now

the war has lasted for nearly 4 years despite the best that has been done by everyone the Gallant Fighting of military and Naval forces the diligence and ass du ity of our Servants of the state and the devoted service of our 100 million people the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage while the general trends of the world have all turned against her interest 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 it would not only result in an ultimate collapse and obliter ation of the Japanese Nation but also it would lead to the total Extinction of human civilization such being the case how are we to save the millions of our subjects or to atone ourselves before the hallowed spirits of our Imperial ancestors this is the reason why we have ordered the acceptance of the provisions of the joint Declaration of the powers however it is according to the dictate of time and fate that we have resolved to pave the way for a grand

peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is insufferable having been able to safeguard and maintain the structure of the Imperial State we are always with you our good and loyal subjects relying upon your sincerity and integrity cultivate the ways of rectitude foster nobility of spirit and work with resolution so as you may enhance the innate glory of the Imperial State and keep Pace with the progress of the world [Music] finally 8 years after the invasion of China and 4 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor the war had

come to an end the formal surrender ceremony would take place on September 2nd with delegates from Allied Nations across the globe gathering on the USS Missouri in Tokyo bay after a speech by the Allied Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur the Japanese delegation would step forward with each affixing their name to the document of Peace Japanese Armed Forces across the Pacific would follow suit laying down their arms to return home led by Douglas MacArthur the Allied occupation of Japan would officially begin on August 28th 1945 and last for the next 7 years with the country being radically

transformed into a westernized nation and one of America's key allies in the east as promised Emperor hito would be allowed to continue his Reign although he would do so having been stripped of his divinity issuing an official Humanity declaration in 1946 much like the past where the emperor had legitimized the rule of the Magi reformers the emperor now would legitimize the Allied occupation of Japan returning yet again to the role of a symbolic figure he would reside over a new democratic government free from the military control that had dominated Japan for the last several hundred

years in the end by attacking Pearl Harbor Japan had started a war they simply could not win and even with their Navy destroyed their pilots reduced to desperate kamakazi strikes and their empire all but gone this did not stop them from fighting even after one atomic bomb had been dropped on the nation and then a second there were still no signs of Japan accepting the Allies terms the country was controlled by military Fanatics whose mindset was dominated by the tenants of State Shinto an ideology that allowed no fear no retreat and most importantly no surrender

many were willing to fight to the death with the most extreme preferring total annihilation of the Japanese people over capitulation to the enemy it would take an unprecedented event to make Japan capitulate and bring the war to an end ultimately the real reason Japan surrendered was because the emperor broke president he broke the deadlock that had gripped the Japanese government for months and announced that Japan must accept the Allies terms without the emperor's direct intervention no one knows how long fanatical Japanese commanders would have held out for and how many mil millions of lives would

have been lost in the process to understand why Japan surrendered it has to be viewed from the position of hito himself and what he saw was not a Japan that could win the war from his perspective Japan was cut off from food and oil by American submarines its Navy completely wiped out its allies defeated its cities bombarded Day and Night by Air Raids and its population was starving atomic bombs were threatening the total annihilation of their Homeland and people and the last hope they had of a Soviet mediated peace had fallen through all of this

although not clear to members of the military ranks was clear to the emperor he is the real reason Japan surrendered without his support the war would not have come to an end when it did and millions more lives on both sides would have perished as hito pointed out himself in 1946 a year after the war had come to an end at the time of surrender there was no Prospect of agreement no matter how many discussions they the big six had in addition to the intense bombings we had suffered atomic bombs and the ravages of War

were suddenly accelerated lastly when Suzuki asked me at the Imperial conference which of the two views should be taken I was given the opportunity to express my own free will for the first time without violating anybody else's Authority or responsibilities but his decision would not come about for outra itic reasons even after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki when asked by one of his uncles Prince esaka whether the war would continue if his position as Emperor could not be maintained the emperor simply replied of course he was willing to sacrifice millions of lives if his

place on the throne came under threat hito in wanting to preserve his position as Emperor had inadvertently save Japan and the Japanese people from Total annihilation [Music]