The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed on September 2, 1945, but the leadership of the country took a very long time to this decision. The Potsdam Declaration put forward the terms of surrender, but the emperor officially refused the proposed ultimatum. True, Japan still had to accept all the conditions of surrender, putting a bullet in the course of hostilities.
Preliminary stage
The unconditional surrender of Japan was not signed immediately. At first, China, England, and the United States of America on July 26, 1945, introduced for general consideration the demands for surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration. The main idea of the declaration was as follows: if a country refuses to accept the proposed conditions, then it will be "promptly and completely destroyed." Two days later, the emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun answered the declaration with a categorical refusal.
Despite the fact that Japan suffered heavy losses, its fleet completely ceased to function (which is an appalling tragedy for an island state that is completely dependent on supplies of raw materials), and the probability of US and Soviet troops invading the country was extremely high, "Military newspaper" The Japanese imperial command made strange conclusions: “We are not able to lead a war without hope of success. The only way left for all Japanese people is to sacrifice their lives and do everything possible to undermine the morale of the enemy. "
Mass self-sacrifice
In fact, the government called on its subjects to commit an act of mass self-sacrifice. True, the population did not react to this prospect. In some places it was still possible to meet hotbeds of fierce resistance, but in general, the samurai spirit has long outlived itself. And as historians note, all that the Japanese learned in the forty-fifth year is to surrender en masse.
At that time, Japan was expecting two attacks: the Allied offensive (China, England, the United States of America) on Kyushu and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. The act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed only because the prevailing conditions in the country were critical.
The emperor until the last advocated the continuation of the war. Indeed, for the Japanese to surrender was an unheard of shame. Before that, the country had not lost a single war, and for almost half a millennium did not know foreign invasions of its own territory. But she was completely ruined, therefore, the Act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed.
Attack
On 6/6/1945, fulfilling the threat stated in the Potsdam Declaration, America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, the same fate befell the city of Nagasaki, which was the country's largest naval base.
The country has not yet had time to recover from such a large-scale tragedy as 08/08/1945 the authorities of the Soviet Union declare war on Japan and on 9 August it is already beginning to conduct hostilities. Thus, the Manchu offensive operation of the Soviet army ensued. In fact, the military-economic base of Japan on the Asian continent was completely eliminated.
Destruction of communications
At the first stage of the battle, Soviet aircraft aimed at military installations, communication centers, and communications of the border zones of the Pacific Fleet. The communications that connected Korea and Manchuria with Japan were cut, and the enemy’s naval base was seriously damaged.
On August 18, the Soviet army was already approaching the production and management centers of Manchuria, they tried not to give the enemy the opportunity to destroy material values. On August 19 in the Land of the Rising Sun, they realized that they could not see victories as their own ears, they began to surrender en masse. Japan was forced to capitulate. On August 2, 1945, the world war ended completely and finally, when the Act on Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed.
Document of surrender
September, 1945, the board of the American cruiser "Missouri" - this is where the Act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed. On behalf of their states, the document was signed:
- Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu.
- Chief of General Staff Yoshiziro Umezu.
- Army General of America Douglas MacArthur.
- Lieutenant General of the Soviet Union Kuzma Derevyanko.
- Admiral of the British Flotilla Bruce Fraser.
In addition to them, representatives of China, France, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand attended the signing of the act.
We can say that the Act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed in the city of Kure. This was the last region, after the bombing of which the Japanese government decided to surrender. After some time, a battleship appeared in Tokyo Bay.
The essence of the document
According to the decisions approved in the document, Japan fully accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The sovereignty of the country was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido and other islands of the smaller Japanese archipelago. The islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir were transferred to the Soviet Union.
Japan had to stop all military operations, release prisoners of war and other foreign soldiers imprisoned during the war, and preserve civilian and military property without damage. Also, Japanese officials were required to obey the decrees of the High Command of the Union States.
In order to be able to monitor progress in fulfilling the terms of the Surrender Act, the USSR, USA and Great Britain decided to create a Far Eastern Commission and the Union Council.
The meaning of war
Thus ended one of the most bloody wars in the history of mankind. Japanese generals were convicted of war crimes. On May 3, 1946, a military tribunal began to work in Tokyo, which tried those responsible for preparing the Second World War. Those who wanted to seize foreign lands at the cost of death and enslavement appeared before the people's court.
The battles of World War II claimed about 65 million lives. The greatest losses were suffered by the Soviet Union, which took the brunt of it. Signed in 1945, the Act on Unconditional Surrender of Japan can be called a document that sums up the long, bloody and meaningless battle.
The result of these battles was the expansion of the borders of the USSR. Fascist ideology was condemned, war criminals punished, the United Nations created. A non-proliferation pact of weapons of mass destruction and a ban on its creation were signed.
The influence of Western Europe decreased markedly, the United States managed to maintain and strengthen its position in the international, economic market, and the victory of the USSR over fascism gave the country the opportunity to maintain independence and follow the chosen path of life. But it all reached too high a price.