End of World War II in Asia

World War II officially ended in Asia on September 2, 1945, at 3:24 with the surrender of Japan on the . Before that, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, and the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, causing Emperor Hirohito to announce the acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration on August 15, 1945, which would eventually lead to the surrender ceremony on September 2.

After the ceremony, Japanese forces continued to surrender across the Pacific, with the last major surrender occurring on October 25, 1945, with the surrender of Japanese forces in Taiwan to Chiang Kai-shek. The American occupation of Japan lasted from the end of the war until April 28, 1952, when the Treaty of San Francisco came into effect.

Prelude

Soviet agreements to invade Japan

At the Tehran Conference (November 28-December 1, 1943), the Soviet Union agreed to invade Japan "after the defeat of Germany", but this would not be finalized until the Yalta Conference between February 4 and February 11, 1945, when the Soviet Union agreed to invade Japan within 2 or 3 months. On April 5, 1945, the Soviet Union denounced the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact that had been signed on April 13, 1941, as now the Soviet Union had plans for war with Japan.

Surrender of Axis forces in Europe

Japan's biggest allies in Europe began to surrender in 1945, with the last Italian troops surrender in the "Rendition of Caserta" on April 29, 1945, and the Germans surrendering on May 8, 1945, leaving Japan as the last major Axis power standing.

The Potsdam Conference and Declaration

On July 17, 1945, the Potsdam Conference began. While mostly dealing with events in Europe after the Axis surrenders, the Allies also discussed the war against Japan, leading to the Potsdam Declaration being issued on July 26, 1945, calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan, and "prompt and utter destruction" if Japan failed to surrender. Yet, the ultimatum also claimed that Japan would not "be enslaved as a race or destroyed as a nation".

thumb|From left to right: [[Clement Attlee, Harry S. Truman, and Joseph Stalin at the Potsdam Conference.|alt=This is Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Harry Truman, President of the United States, and Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, sitting together at the Potsdam Conference.]]

Japan's peace attempts and response to the Potsdam Declaration

Some scholars believe Japan had begun to want to make peace with the Allies, as early as the spring of 1944. The unannounced aim of the Suzuki cabinet, which took office on April 7, 1945, may have been to secure peace. Japan may have made attempts to stop the war, including sending Fumimaro Konoe to Moscow in an attempt to try to get the Soviet Union to make the Americans stop the war. However, the Soviet Union wanted to declare war on Japan before the Allies made peace. or if it “withheld comment,” meaning it needed more time to formulate a response.

After the bombing of Hiroshima, Harry Truman said that "We have spent two billion dollars on the greatest scientific gamble in history—and won." Japan still continued the war, though, despite some officials' attempts to make peace through the Soviets. The next day, Soviet armies invaded Manchuria, attacking from all sides except the south. Following the declaration, Japan was at war with almost all non-neutral nations.

Korea

On August 11, 1945, with the drafting of General Order No. 1, the 38th Parallel was set as the delineation between the Soviet and US occupation zones in Korea, with Japanese forces north of the parallel surrendering to the Soviets, and those to the south surrendering to the Americans.

The informal Japanese surrender

On August 9, after the Nagasaki atomic bombing, shortly before midnight, Hirohito entered a meeting with his cabinet, where he said that he did not believe Japan could continue to fight the war. The next day, the Japanese Foreign Ministry transmitted to the Allies that they would accept the Potsdam Declaration. In the evening of August 14, Hirohito was recorded accepting the Potsdam Declaration at the NHK broadcasting studio. It would not be broadcast until the next day at noon.

After the informal surrender

thumb|Minister of Foreign Affairs [[Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the instrument of surrender on in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.|alt= A man in formal clothes bends over a table to write on a paper. A white man in uniform watches him. A Japanese man in formal clothes watches from behind. In the background, lots of white men in uniform observe.]]

Douglas MacArthur

General Douglas MacArthur was the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, and as such had complete control over the occupation of Japan. He issued General Order No. 1 on August 17, which ordered all Japanese forces to unconditionally surrender to an Allied power in the Pacific, depending on the location. On August 30, MacArthur arrived at Atsugi Air Base in Japan to begin the occupation of Japan by the Allied Powers.

Last air casualty

On August 18, Japanese pilots attacked two B-32s of the 386th Bombardment Squadron and 312th Bombardment Group on a photo reconnaissance mission over Japan. Sergeant Anthony Marchione, 19, a photographer's assistant, was fatally wounded in the attack and would be the last American killed in air combat in the Second World War.

Allied operations after the informal surrender

Troop actions

On August 18, Soviet troops began invading the Kuril Islands, starting with amphibious landings in Shumshu. Five days later, the last Japanese troops there surrendered. On August 30, after the informal surrender, British forces returned to Hong Kong.

; August 26, 1945: Hutou Fortress, a final Japanese Army stronghold, fell into Soviet hands during the final battle in Manchuria

; August 27, 1945: B-29s begin to drop supplies to prisoners in Japanese camps as part of Operation Blacklist, which included providing Allied prisoners of war with adequate supplies and care and to evacuate them from their prisons.

; August 29, 1945: A B-29 was shot down over Korea while supplying POWs in the camp at Konan. Bill Streifer and Irek Sabitov argue the Soviets shot the plane down to prevent the Americans from identifying facilities supporting Japan's atomic bomb program.

; September 2, 1945: Formal Japanese surrender ceremony aboard in Tokyo Bay; U.S. President Harry S. Truman declares Victory over Japan Day.

; September 4, 1945: Japanese troops on Wake Island surrender.

; September 5, 1945: The British land in Singapore.

; September 6, 1945: Japanese forces in Rabaul and across Papua New Guinea surrender.

; September 8, 1945: MacArthur enters Tokyo.

; September 8, 1945: US forces land at Incheon to occupy Korea south of the 38th parallel.

; September 9, 1945: Japanese forces in China surrender.

; September 9, 1945: Japanese forces on the Korean Peninsula surrender.

; September 10, 1945: Japanese in Labuan surrender.

; September 11, 1945: Japanese in Sarawak surrender.

; September 12, 1945: Japanese in Singapore formally surrender.

; September 13, 1945: Japanese in Burma formally surrender.

; September 16, 1945: Japanese in Hong Kong formally surrender.

; October 25, 1945: Japanese in Taiwan surrender to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.

Thailand (Siam)

After Japan's defeat in 1945, most of the international community, with the exception of Britain, did not accept Thailand's declaration of war, as it had been signed under duress. Thailand was not occupied by the Allies, but it was forced to return the territory it had regained to the French. In the postwar period, the Thai government had close relations with the United States, which it saw as a protector from the communist revolutions in neighbouring countries.

Occupation of Japan

At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allies, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power. The San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed on September 8, 1951, marked the end of the Allied occupation, and after it came into force on April 28, 1952, Japan was once again an independent country.

Japanese demobilization and repatriation

One problem faced by the allies were the 3 million Japanese civilian and 3.5 million demobilized military personnel scattered around the region. Gen. MacArthur desired their immediate repatriation to Japan, not just for humanitarian reasons but also to lift the economic burden of the newly liberated territories. Conversely, there were more than 1 million nationals from occupied countries who found themselves in Japan at the end of the war.

On November 30, 1945, under the SCAP directive, the Japanese government dissolved the Ministry of War and Ministry of the Navy. In their place came about First Demobilization Ministry (Army) and the Second Demobilization Ministry (Navy). By mid-1946, both agencies were downgraded to Bureaus and formed under the Welfare Ministry.

Twenty-eight Japanese military and political leaders were charged with Class A crimes, and more than 5,500 others were charged with Class B and C crimes, as lower-ranking war criminals. The Republic of China held 13 tribunals of its own, resulting in 504 convictions and 149 executions. The Philippines also conducted their own trials with the conviction of Class B and C war criminals. On July 4, 1953, Pres. Elpidio Quirino pardoned 105 of the Japanese war criminals, paving their way for their repatriation to Japan.

Emperor Hirohito and all members of the imperial family such as Prince Asaka, were not prosecuted for involvement in any the three categories of crimes. Herbert Bix explains that "the Truman administration and General MacArthur both believed the occupation reforms would be implemented smoothly if they used Hirohito to legitimise their changes." As many as 50 suspects, such as Nobusuke Kishi, who later became Prime Minister were charged but released without ever being brought to trial in 1947 and 1948. Shirō Ishii received immunity in exchange for data gathered from his experiments on live prisoners. The lone dissenting judge to exonerate all indictees was Indian jurist Radhabinod Pal.

The tribunal was adjourned on November 12, 1948.