“When Imperial Japan laid down its arms on this day in 1945, America stood victorious over the forces of tyranny, proving to every generation that freedom survives only when brave citizens stand ready to defend it. We owe our deepest gratitude to the Americans who gave their lives in that struggle, the soldiers who charged across open sand into enemy fire, the Marines who stormed beaches, the sailors who stood their posts on burning decks, and the airmen who took flight into the skies above the Pacific.” —President Donald Trump’s proclamation
On August 14, 1945, imperial Japan surrendered to the Allies and the Second World War was over.
While the official surrender ceremony you see pictured above on the USS Missouri did not occur until September, the most important step was taken, and Americans could rejoice that the fighting would end without a devastating land invasion of Japan, which was projected to have cost up to a million American lives.
On every island that the Americans took, the Japanese had provided countless examples of their fanatical dedication to fighting to the last man, woman, and child, and numerous Japanese officials were outraged at the emperor’s decision to surrender even after two atom bombs. Furthermore, Imperial Japan had massacred up to 10 million people during WWII, including civilian slaughters in China, Thailand, Korea, and other Asian nations.
But as of mid-August 1945, the nightmare was at last coming to an end. America had defeated one of the most genocidal regimes of the 20th century.
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