End of World War II
Japan surrendered, ending the deadliest conflict in history
August 15, 1945
The War That Ended All Others for a Generation
On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito of Japan announced his country's unconditional surrender in a radio broadcast — the first time most Japanese citizens had ever heard his voice. The formal surrender was signed on September 2 aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. World War II — the deadliest conflict in human history, killing between 70 and 85 million people — was over. Six years, one day after Germany's invasion of Poland had started it.
What Led to Japan's Decision
The US had dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, killing approximately 200,000 people. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8. Facing destruction on two fronts, and with the bombs demonstrating that the US could destroy Japanese cities without risking American lives in an invasion, Japan's military leadership accepted defeat. The decision saved an estimated million lives that an Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands would have cost.
The World After
The war's end created the world we live in today. The United Nations was founded. The US Marshall Plan rebuilt Western Europe. Germany was divided. The Cold War between the US and Soviet Union began almost immediately. Decolonization accelerated across Asia and Africa. And the nuclear age — with all its terror and restraint — shaped every major geopolitical decision for the next 80 years.