ACT OF THE SURDEN OF JAPAN, See Art. Japanese surrender... Great Patriotic War 1941-1945: Encyclopedia
JAPANESE SURRENDER ACT 1945- 2.9, Joint Document of the Allied Powers on the Unconditional Surrender of Japan, presented. its representatives. Signed on board Amer. battleship "Missouri" by representatives of Japan, USA, USSR, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, China, France, ... ... Encyclopedia of the Strategic Missile Forces
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Japan's Unconditional Surrender Act- signed on September 2, 1945, deprived Japan, which was defeated in World War II, of all the lands it had ever captured: South Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Manchuria, Korea, Taiwan, etc. Glossary of terms (glossary) on the history of the state and law of foreign countries
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September 2, 1945, the event that ended hostilities in World War II. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy lost its combat readiness, and there was a threat of an Allied invasion of Japan. While ... ... Wikipedia
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It was signed on September 2, 1945. Having made a preliminary decision and received the emperor’s approval for armistice negotiations, the Japanese government, overcoming internal difficulties, tried to contact the governments of the USSR, the USA and England in order to ... ... All Japan
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Japanese surrender in World War II- When planning to enter the Second World War, the ruling circles of Japan expected that Great Britain and France, engaged in a war in Europe, would not be able to allocate sufficient forces to protect their colonies and strongholds in Asia, and the USSR would make the main efforts ... ... Encyclopedia of newsmakers
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- When cherry blossoms..., Alexey Voronkov. On September 2, 1945, Japan's unconditional surrender was signed aboard the USS Missouri. The Second World War is over, the armies have returned to their places...
- When the sakura blossoms, Voronkov A.A. On September 2, 1945, an act of unconditional surrender of Japan was signed on board the American missile cruiser Missouri. The Second World War is over, the armies have returned to their places...
After the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan, many Japanese statesmen realized that the political and strategic situation in the Far East had changed radically and it was pointless to continue the war.
On the morning of August 9, an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War was held. Opening it, Prime Minister Suzuki declared: "I have come to the conclusion that the only possible alternative is to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and cease hostilities" (888) .
Supporters of the continuation of the war, Minister of War Anami, Chief of the General Staff of the Army Umezu and Chief of the Naval General Staff Toyoda insisted on accepting the Potsdam Declaration only on the condition that the Allied Powers fulfill four obligations: maintaining the imperial system of state power, punishing war criminals by the Japanese themselves, granting Japan the right independent disarmament and prevention of its occupation by the Allies, and if the occupation is inevitable, then it should be short, carried out by small forces and not affect Tokyo (889) .
The leaders of Japan wanted to get out of the war with the least political and moral damage. They didn't care about human losses. They knew that a well-trained and still powerful military, a properly processed population, would fight to the end. The armed forces, according to Anami and Toyoda, are able to inflict great damage on the enemy when he invades the metropolis. In other words, Japan, in their opinion, was not yet in a position to accept a declaration without setting any conditions. Anami even declared that the active army would not obey the order to demobilize and would not agree to lay down their arms (890) . The opinions of the participants in the meeting of the Supreme Council were divided, and no decision was made.
At 2 pm on August 9, 1945, an emergency meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers (891) opened. It was attended by 15 people, of which 10 were civilians. Thus, the balance of power was not in favor of the military, who were in favor of continuing the war. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo announced the text of the Potsdam Declaration and proposed to accept it, stipulating only one condition: the preservation of imperial power in the country.
Anami opposed. He again stated that if the countries that signed the Potsdam Declaration accepted all the conditions, the Japanese would continue the war. Five Cabinet members abstained from the vote. The Minister of the Navy, the Ministers of Justice, Agriculture, Armaments and Communications, Education, and the Minister without Portfolio supported Togo's proposal. The seven-hour meeting did not reveal a unanimous opinion.
At Suzuki's request, Emperor Hirohito convened the Supreme War Direction Council. At the beginning of the meeting, Suzuki read out a draft response to the demands of the declaration, prepared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo. After listening to the points of view of those present, the emperor declared that the Japanese leadership had no chance of success, and ordered the adoption of the draft of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (892) .
On the morning of August 10, the Japanese government announced through neutral countries - Sweden and Switzerland, that it agreed to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration if "the allies agree not to include in it a clause depriving the emperor of sovereign rights" (893) . The statement said: “The Japanese Government is ready to accept the terms of the Declaration of July 26 of this year, to which the Soviet Government has also joined. The Japanese Government understands that this Declaration does not contain requirements that would infringe on the Emperor's prerogatives as the sovereign ruler of Japan. The Japanese Government asks for specific notice on this matter" (894) .
In the response of the governments of the USSR, the USA, Great Britain and China dated August 11, the Allies reaffirmed their demand for unconditional surrender and drew the attention of the Japanese government to the provision of the Potsdam Declaration, which provided that from the moment of surrender, the power of the emperor and the Japanese government in relation to the administration of the state would be subordinated to the supreme commander forces of the Allied Powers, who will take such steps as he deems necessary to carry out the terms of surrender.
The Emperor would be asked, the reply said, to authorize and secure the signing by the government and the high command of the terms of surrender necessary to carry out the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration. In this regard, he will have to give orders to all military, naval and air authorities and all armed forces under their control, wherever they are located, to stop hostilities, surrender their weapons and comply with the instructions of the supreme commander aimed at implementing the terms of surrender. Japan's form of government will be established by the freely expressed will of the Japanese people in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration. The armed forces of the Allied Powers will remain in Japan until "until the objectives set out in the Potsdam Declaration have been achieved" (895) .
The response of the governments of the USSR, the USA, Great Britain and China again caused disputes and disagreements in the Japanese government. The Minister of War, on his own initiative, addressed an appeal to all generals, officers and soldiers of the army, urging them to continue a decisive holy war, to fight to the last drop of blood (896) .
The Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Forces in China Okamura and the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Forces in the South Seas Tirauchi, having learned about the intention of the government and the headquarters to accept the Potsdam Declaration, sent telegrams to the Minister of War and the Chief of the General Staff, in which they also expressed disagreement with the decision on the need for surrender and proved the possibility of continuing the war . Okamura wrote that “the entry into the war of the Soviet Union undoubtedly further worsened the position of the empire. However ... despite the successful offensive of the enemy and the difficulties inside the country, the entire army is ready to die with honor in battle, but to achieve the goals of the war this autumn ”(897) . In a similar spirit, the telegram sent to Tirauti to the Minister of War was composed.
The morning meeting of August 13 of the members of the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War, as well as the afternoon meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, took place in anticipation of news from the front. On August 14, at 10 o'clock, the emperor convened a joint meeting of the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War and the Cabinet of Ministers. Once again, the military representatives suggested making reservations in terms of surrender or continuing the war. But the majority voted for the adoption of a decision on unconditional surrender, which was approved by the emperor (898). A statement was made on his behalf: “... I ordered the adoption of the Potsdam Declaration. My opinion has not changed... I command everyone to join me... Accept the terms immediately. So that the people may know about my decision, I order the urgent preparation of an imperial rescript on this issue ”(899) .
On the same day, the US government received a message through the Swiss government informing the four powers that Japan had issued a rescript from the emperor accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, readiness to authorize and ensure the signing of the relevant document and give orders "to cease hostilities and surrender weapons, and also give such other orders as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Armed Forces may require in order to carry out the above conditions” (900) .
Following the announcement of the acceptance of the terms of surrender, the Japanese government conveyed wishes to the four powers: “a) inform the Japanese side in advance about the introduction of the fleets and armies of the allied powers into the waters and into the territory of Japan, since the Japanese side must conduct appropriate preparations for this; b) to reduce to a minimum the number of points in Japanese territory subject to occupation, as determined by the Allied Powers; when choosing these points, exclude Tokyo and reduce to a minimum the number of troops that will be located in the points of occupation ”(901) . Other wishes were put forward: to carry out disarmament in stages and by the Japanese themselves; leave cold weapons to servicemen; not to use prisoners of war for forced labor; provide units located in remote areas with additional time to implement the cessation of hostilities; remove the wounded and sick Japanese from the remote islands of the Pacific Ocean as quickly as possible.
Upon learning that the emperor had taped an appeal to the people, in which he announced the acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and the cessation of the war by Japan, a group of fanatical officers led by Major K. Hatanaka ("young tigers" from the department of the military ministry and the capital's military institutions) , on the night of August 15, decided to disrupt the adoption of the declaration and lead Japan along the path of continuing the war. They set their task to eliminate the “supporters of peace” from the political arena, to persuade the armed forces to disobedience, and so that the emperor’s decision did not receive publicity, to remove the text with the recording of the speech before it was broadcast.
The commander of the 1st Guards Division, which guarded the imperial palace and without which it was impossible to carry out the putsch, did not want to participate in it and was killed. Having given the orders they needed on his behalf, the putschists entered the palace, attacked the residences of Prime Minister Suzuki, the Lord Privy Seal K. Kido, the chairman of the Privy Council K. Hiranuma, and also the Tokyo radio station. However, they could not find the wanted persons, as well as the tapes with the speech recording. Other parts of the Tokyo garrison did not support the conspirators. Even many former supporters of the "young tigers", not wanting to go against the decision of the emperor and not believing in the success of the putsch, refused to take part in it.
The hastily organized coup was liquidated in the first hours. His instigators were not tried. They were simply given the opportunity, according to the samurai custom, to make hara-kiri.
On August 15, a rescript from Emperor Hirohito was broadcast on the radio accepting the terms of surrender. “We ordered our government,” said Hirohito, “to convey to the governments of the United States, Great Britain, China, and the Soviet Union a message that our empire has accepted the terms of their joint declaration” (902) .
Characteristically, both at the time of the publication of the imperial rescript and in the post-war years, Japanese official propaganda emphasized the "special role of the emperor" in the events of August 9-15, 1945. capitulations were either not mentioned at all, or were considered secondary reasons.
In the difficult days for the Japanese militarists after August 9, some of the country's top military and political figures, realizing the imminence of the collapse of their policy and the inevitability of retribution, resorted to suicide. On August 11, former Prime Minister Tojo, the first of Japan's main war criminals, unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide with a shot from a revolver. On August 15, Minister of War Anami, Vice Admiral T. Opisi, creator of the Kamikaze Corps, Commander-in-Chief of the 1st United Army Field Marshal Sugiyama, commanders of the 10th, 11th and 12th fronts, one of the former commanders of the Kwantung Army, General S. Honjo, committed suicide. , as well as other generals and ministers of the Suzuki cabinet (903) .
On August 15, the Suzuki cabinet fell. All day and night, bonfires burned near many government offices: archives, correspondence and other documents that could discredit the ruling elite were urgently burned.
Under the circumstances, political and military leaders began to push for the unilateral occupation of Japan by American troops in order to "counter the threat of the communist revolution and help preserve the imperial system" (904) .
On August 15 hostilities between the Anglo-American and Japanese armed forces ceased. However, on the territory of Northeast China, Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, Japanese troops continued to resist the Soviet Armed Forces. Parts of the Kwantung Army did not receive an order to cease hostilities, so the Soviet troops in the Far East were also not given an order to cease hostilities. Only on August 19 did the first meeting of Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky with the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army Khata take place, at which the parties agreed on the procedure for surrender. From the same day, the Japanese troops began to lay down their arms in front of the Soviet Armed Forces. The disarmament of the groups located in Northeast China and North Korea continued until the end of the month. At the same time, the operation in South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands was completed.
With the receipt of data on the acceptance by Japan on August 14, 1945 of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, the American side developed a draft "General Order No. 1 (for the army and navy)" on the acceptance of the surrender of the Japanese armed forces. The draft order was approved by US President Truman and communicated to the allies on August 15. It defined zones in which each of the allied powers accepted the surrender of Japanese troops.
The Soviet government, in a reply dated August 16, stated that it basically did not object to the content of the order, but proposed to amend it: to include in the area of surrender to the Soviet troops all the Kuril Islands, which, by agreement of the three powers in the Crimea, were transferred to the Soviet Union, and the northern half of the island Hokkaido (905) . The US government was unable to raise any objections regarding the Kuril Islands. With regard to Hokkaido, Truman replied that Japanese armed forces on all the islands of Japan proper were surrendering to General MacArthur and he "would use symbolic (underlined by us. - Ed.) allied armed forces, which, of course, will also include the Soviet armed forces” (906) .
The US government essentially rejected the allied control in post-war Japan, provided for by the Potsdam Declaration, embarked on the path of refusal to cooperate with the Soviet Union and took a number of actions that clearly contradicted the existing allied agreements. Thus, in President Truman's reply to the Soviet government on August 18, a demand was put forward to use one of the Kuril Islands as a US air base, and this demand was not even motivated. The Soviet government rejected this solicitation, pointing out that the Kuril Islands, according to the Crimean agreement, should become the possession of the Soviet Union and that it did not understand "in view of what circumstances such a demand could arise." The answer of the Soviet government explained that if the US had in mind the landing of American commercial aircraft, then the USSR was ready to allocate an airfield, provided that the US allocates the same in the Aleutian Islands for the landing of Soviet aircraft (907) .
All preparatory work to organize the official signing of the act of surrender was carried out by MacArthur's headquarters in Manila. MacArthur at this time was appointed Allied Supreme Commander; he was entrusted with the acceptance of the surrender and its implementation. Upon assuming this position, MacArthur on 19 August forbade the signing of any instruments of surrender in other theaters of war before he had signed them himself. He also forbade the reoccupation of the territories occupied by the Japanese until the signing of the act of surrender in Tokyo (908). On August 19, a Japanese delegation headed by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Ground Forces, General T. Kawabe, arrived in Manila. It included 7 representatives of the army, 6 - of the navy and 2 - of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were notified of the dates and the areas where the first occupation troops would land. In this regard, the Japanese army was supposed to leave the Atsugi airfield by the end of the day on August 24, the areas of Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay - by August 25, the Kanon base and the southern part of Kyushu - by 12 o'clock on August 30 (909) .
Kawabe and the senior representative of the fleet, Admiral I. Yokoyama, requested that the landing of the occupying troops be delayed for ten days, motivating this request by the need to take precautions to avoid undesirable incidents. The request of the Japanese delegation was granted, although for a shorter period. The landing of the first divisions of the occupying troops was delayed for three days, until August 26, and the landing of the main forces until August 28 (910).
On August 20, the Japanese representatives in Manila were handed the Instrument of Surrender agreed upon by the Allied Powers. The first paragraph of the act stated that Japan accepts "the terms of the declaration published on July 26 in Potsdam by the heads of government of the United States, China and Great Britain, to which the USSR subsequently joined" (911) .
The act provided for the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Japan itself and those under its control, regardless of their location. In a special clause, it was stipulated that the Japanese troops immediately cease hostilities and undertake to preserve and prevent damage to ships, aircraft, military and civilian property. The General Staff was instructed to immediately issue an order to the commanders of Japanese troops, as well as troops under Japanese control, to ensure unconditional surrender, the immediate release of prisoners of war and interned civilians of the Allied Powers, ensuring their protection, maintenance and care, as well as their immediate delivery to the indicated places. Issues regarding the occupation of Japan by the allied armies and the procedure for signing the act of Japan's unconditional surrender were also discussed.
On September 2, 1945, a signing ceremony took place aboard the US battleship Missouri, which entered Tokyo Bay.
MacArthur conducted the ceremony in such a way as to give the impression that Japan had been crushed almost by the United States alone. In an effort to emphasize that the victory sums up almost a century of US policy in the Pacific, the Americans removed from the museum and delivered to the Missouri the flag with which in 1854 Commodore M. Perry "discovered" Japan, that is, forced her under the muzzles of guns to sign unequal contract. The flag, placed in a glass showcase, was placed in a conspicuous place.
A large table was placed on the upper deck of the battleship, at which representatives of the delegations of the USA, Great Britain, the USSR, France, China, Australia, Canada, Holland, New Zealand sat, and numerous correspondents were present. The Japanese delegation included Foreign Minister Shigemitsu, representing the government, and General Umezu, the imperial headquarters.
The Japanese delegation was delivered to the battleship on the American destroyer Lansdowne at 08:55. Before reaching the table, the Japanese representatives stopped - the "minutes of shame" had come. For five minutes, the Japanese delegation stood under the stern gaze of the representatives of the allied countries who were present on the ship.
At 09:04, after a short speech by MacArthur, Shigemitsu and Umezu signed an act of unconditional surrender. Then it was signed by representatives of the allied powers: on behalf of all the allied nations - Supreme Commander General D. MacArthur, on behalf of the United States of America - Admiral C. Nimitz, China - Kuomintang General Su Yong-chan, Great Britain - Admiral B. Fraser, Soviet Union - General Derevyanko Kuzmich Nikolaevich, Australia - General T. Blamey, France - General J. Leclerc, Holland - Admiral K. Halfrich, New Zealand - Air Vice-Marshal L. Isit, Canada - Colonel N. Moore-Cosgrave.
The ceremony of signing the act of unconditional surrender lasted 20 minutes. Having received copies of the document of surrender, the Japanese delegation departed from the Missouri (912).
Following this, representatives of the allied command began to accept the surrender of Japanese troops in various areas of the Pacific Ocean, China, and Southeast Asia. This procedure dragged on for several months.
On September 2, 1945, the attention of the whole world was riveted on the events in Tokyo Bay. Japan's surrender was signed aboard the USS Missouri. This was preceded by a speech by General Douglas MacArthur. “Let blood and death remain in the past, and the world be based on faith and mutual understanding,” the military leader said. On the ship were representatives of the delegations of the USA, Great Britain, the USSR, France, China, Australia, Canada, Holland, New Zealand, and numerous journalists. The official part lasted 30 minutes.
Japanese Surrender Act
We, acting by order and on behalf of the Emperor, the Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General Staff, hereby accept the terms of the Declaration issued on July 26 in Potsdam by the Heads of the Governments of the United States, China and Great Britain, to which the USSR subsequently acceded, which four powers will hereafter be called Allied Powers.
We hereby declare the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, all Japanese military forces, and all military forces under Japanese control, no matter where they are located.
We hereby order all Japanese troops, wherever located, and the Japanese people to cease hostilities immediately, to preserve and prevent damage to all ships, aircraft and military and civilian property, and to comply with all demands that may be made by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers or organs of the Japanese Government on its instructions.
We hereby order the Japanese Imperial General Staff to immediately issue orders to the commanders of all Japanese troops and troops under Japanese control, wherever located, to surrender unconditionally in person, and also to ensure the unconditional surrender of all troops under their command.
All civil, military and naval officials shall obey and carry out all instructions, orders and directives which the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers deems necessary for the implementation of this surrender and which may be issued by him or by his authority; we direct all these officials to remain at their posts and continue to carry out their non-combat duties, unless they are relieved of them by special decree issued by or under the authority of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers.
We hereby undertake that the Japanese Government and its successors will honestly comply with the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and give such orders and take such actions as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers or any other representative appointed by the Allied Powers shall require in order to implement this Declaration.
We hereby direct the Imperial Japanese Government and the Japanese Imperial General Staff to immediately release all Allied prisoners of war and civilian internees now under Japanese control and ensure their protection, maintenance and care, and their immediate delivery to the designated places.
The authority of the Emperor and the Government of Japan to govern the state shall be subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, who shall take such steps as he deems necessary to effectuate these terms of surrender.
Shigemitsu Mamoru
(Signature)
By order and on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government
Umezu Yoshijiro
(Signature)
Bonded at Tokyo Bay, Japan at 09:08 am, September 2, 1945, on behalf of the United States, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and on behalf of the other United Nations at war with Japan.
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Douglas MacArthur
(Signature)
United States Representative
Chester Nimitz
(Signature)
Representative of the Republic of China
Xu Yongchang
(Signature)
Representative of the United Kingdom
Bruce Frazier
(Signature)
USSR representative
Kuzma Derevianko
(Signature)
Commonwealth Representative
C. A. Blamey
(Signature)
Representative of the Dominion of Canada
Moore Cosgrove
(Signature)
Representative of the Provisional Government of the French Republic
Jacques Leclerc de Hautecloc
(Signature)
Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
K. E. Helfreikh
(Signature)
Representative of the Dominion of New Zealand
Leonard M. Issitt
(Signature)
Day of the end of World War II. Japan's Unconditional Surrender Act signed
Signing of Japan's Unconditional Surrender aboard the USS Missouri
The surrender of Japan, the Act of which was signed on September 2, 1945, marked the end of World War II, in particular the Pacific War and the Soviet-Japanese War.
On August 9, 1945, the Soviet government declared a state of war between the USSR and Japan. At the final stage of World War II, the Manchurian strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops was carried out with the aim of defeating the Japanese Kwantung Army, liberating the northeastern and northern provinces of China (Manchuria and Inner Mongolia), the Liaodong Peninsula, Korea, and eliminating Japan's large military and economic base in Asia. continent. Soviet troops launched an offensive. Aviation struck at military facilities, areas of concentration of troops, communication centers and communications of the enemy in the border zone. The Pacific Fleet, having entered the Sea of Japan, cut the communications linking Korea and Manchuria with Japan, and inflicted air and naval artillery strikes on enemy naval bases.
On August 18-19, Soviet troops reached the approaches to the most important industrial and administrative centers of Manchuria. In order to speed up the capture of the Kwantung Army and prevent the enemy from evacuating or destroying material assets, an airborne assault was landed on this territory. On August 19, the mass surrender of Japanese troops began. The defeat of the Kwantung Army in the Manchurian operation forced Japan to capitulate.
The Second World War ended completely and finally when, on September 2, 1945, on board the American flagship battleship Missouri, which arrived in the waters of Tokyo Bay, Japanese Foreign Minister M. Shigemitsu and Chief of the General Staff General Y. Umezu, US Army General D. MacArthur , Soviet Lieutenant General K. Derevyanko, Admiral of the British Fleet B. Fraser, on behalf of their states, signed the "Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan."
Representatives of France, the Netherlands, China, Australia and New Zealand were also present at the signing. Under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of 1945, the terms of which Japan accepted in full, its sovereignty was limited to the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido, as well as the smaller islands of the Japanese archipelago - at the direction of the allies. The islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai went to the Soviet Union. Also, according to the Act, hostilities on the part of Japan ceased immediately, all Japanese and Japanese-controlled military forces surrendered unconditionally; weapons, military and civilian property were preserved without damage. The Japanese government and the General Staff were instructed to immediately release allied prisoners of war and interned civilians. All Japanese civil, military and naval officials were obligated to obey and carry out the directions and orders of the Supreme Command of the Allied Powers. In order to control the implementation of the Act, by decision of the Moscow Conference of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, the Far Eastern Commission and the Allied Council for Japan were created.
