Surrender of Japan

by+Alex+Liu

On August 15， 1945， a recorded radio address by Emperor Hirohito of Japan aired， announcing the unconditional surrender of Japan to the Allies. The move marked the fall of the last fascist power in World War II.

Around 6 p.m. on that day， when news of Japans impending surrender spread to Chongqing， then wartime capital of China， via radio， local residents set off firecrackers to celebrate. A huge poster bearing the words “Japan Surrenders” was hung on the wall of the Central News Agencys office. Several journalists rode bicycle carts across the city while beating gongs， announcing the victory to pedestrians. When night fell， so many lights were celebrating Japans surrender that it seemed like daytime.

The same day， in Yanan， where the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC） and the CPC-led Eighth Route Army were located， streets were also packed with people celebrating. At night， lanterns lit up the streets， and posters of celebration were found everywhere. Officials joined parades to dance the yangge （a folk dance popular in northern China）.

The formal surrender occurred on September 2， 1945， when representatives from the Empire of Japan signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Initially， the U.S. Department of State suggested that the Emperor of Japan personally sign the surrender document according to the Potsdam Declaration. However， British Prime Minister Clement Richard Attlee argued that doing so might not be wise. The Allies reached consensus to not require Emperor Hirohito or Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni， then Prime Minister of Japan， to be present at the surrender ceremony. Eventually， Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the emperor and civil government of Japan， while Yoshijirō Umezu， chief and general staff of the Imperial Japanese Army， signed for the military.

Douglas MacArthur， Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers， presided over the signing and delivered a short speech on the momentous occasion. Signatures from Allied countries， including the United States， China， Britain， and the Soviet Union – the four great powers signing the Potsdam Declaration， joined names from Australia， Canada， France， the Netherlands， and New Zealand on the Japanese surrender document.

The signing ceremony took place on the deck to the right of the Missouris 16-inch bow gun turret #2. Japanese representatives were neatly-dressed， with complicated expressions on their faces.

General Xu Yongchang represented China to sign the Japanese instrument of surrender. That day， he remarked that China eventually felt elated after enduring decades of aggression and bullying by Japan since it invaded Taiwan in 1874. He added that as a victim of Japans invasion， China should “seek self-renewal and political reform.”

Neither celebrating banners nor majestic honor guards accompanied the signing ceremony. However， it heralded a new postwar international order.

The formal surrender of Japan marked the end of World War II with the Allies as victors.