Victory Over Japan Day (VJ Day)

Victory over Japan Day

Victory over Japan Day (also known as Victory in the Pacific Day, V-J Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which the Empire of Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect ending the war.

What is VJ Day?

August 15th marks the anniversary of the announcement that Japan had surrendered to the Allies in 1945 - ending nearly six years of the Second World War. The day is known as 'Victory in Japan Day' or 'VJ Day' celebrating peace and commemorating all those who fought and lost their lives.

The signing of the official surrender document wasn't to occur until 2nd September 1945 on the USS Battleship Missouri bringing an official end to the conflict. August 15th is the official V-J Day for the UK, while the official US commemoration is September 2nd.

In Japan, the day is known as the “Memorial Day for the end of the war”, and is observed on 15th August.

News of the Japanese surrender was the cause of great rejoicing throughout the world; but nowhere was it greater than in the enemy prison camps, for the men and women there it meant not only the end of the war but the end of a long term of hardship, humiliation and untold suffering.

Japan Surrenders.

On August 6th, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later a second bomb exploded over Nagasaki. On that same day, August 9th, the Soviet Union launched hostilities against Japan by invading Manchuria, thus violating the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact that should have remained binding until April 1946. These crises resulted in feverish activity within the Japanese Government, but each new meeting ended in impasse. The sole issue upon which the two opposing factions could agree was the necessity of safeguarding and preserving the Imperial Institution.

Even the frightening uncertainty created by the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – the possibility that Tokyo itself might be next on the list of targets seemed incapable of budging some of the decision makers. There were members of the Government who refused to believe that Japan was finished.

In the end, saner heads prevailed. It is well that they did, for it is now known that even though Hiroshima and Nagasaki raids exhausted the American supply of the new atomic weapon a third bomb could have been dropped sometime after mid-August, and still others after that.

Even without this information, the more sensible of Japan’s leaders realised that further delay was impossible. With the support of Navy Minister Yonai, Foreign Minister Togo pressed for an immediate acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation on the sole condition that it would not comprise any demands that would prejudice the prerogatives of His Majesty as sovereign ruler.

At noon on 15th August, the people of Japan heard for the very first time the voice of their divine Emperor, who put the good of his country above the degradation of personal disgrace. While Germany's war had been lost on the battlefield, and the rebellion of the troops had provoked ultimate surrender, in this case the decision came from the top. ‘Images of War 1939-1945’, issue 51, quotes the Emperor as saying, “To avoid further bloodshed and perhaps even the total extinction of human civilization, we shall have to endure the unendurable and suffer the insufferable.” The Emperor’s word was law.

The Japanese war was over, and on 2nd September 1945, the formal documents were signed aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. As formal surrender ceremonies confirmed Japan’s capitulation, General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, called attention to the elusive goal toward which humanity continues to struggle: “It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope al all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past – a world founded upon faith and understanding – a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfilment of his most cherished wish – for freedom, tolerance, and justice.” Unconditional surrender was declared after the loss of over 20 million lives in the Far East, the war in the Pacific was over.

Prisoners of War of the Japanese 1939-1945

During World War II, the Japanese Armed Forces captured nearly 140,000 Allied military personnel (from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States) in the Southeast Asia and Pacific areas. They were forced to engage in the hard labour of constructing railways, roads, airfields, etc. to be used by the Japanese Armed Forces in the occupied areas. About 36,000 were transported to the Japanese Mainland to supplement the shortage of the workforce, and compelled to work at the coal mines, mines, shipyards, munitions factories, etc. By the time the war was over, a total of more than 30,000 POWs had died from starvation, diseases, and mistreatment both within and outside of the Japanese Mainland.

According to the findings of the Tokyo Tribunal, the death rate of Western prisoners was 27.1%, seven times that of POWs under the Germans and Italians.

37,583 prisoners from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Dominions, 28,500 from Netherlands and 14,473 from the United States were released after the surrender of Japan.

At the end of the war, the Japanese Armed Forces destroyed all documents related to the POW Camps. Furthermore, the Japanese Government had been very negligent in keeping records of such historical facts during the war.

In addition to the number of POWs who reached Japanese camps, approximately 11,000 POWs tragically lost their lives when allied air and submarine forces attacked the ships transporting the POWs to Japan. Cruelly & ironically the Japanese frequently painted supply ships with Red Crosses, yet did not do the same for those vessels that deserved these markings.

Forces War Records understand that it can be hard to find information regarding Japanese Prisoner of War records so we’ve worked hard to provide a vast Japanese Prisoner of War database. The fully searchable database includes a list of World War II British Army prisoners of war (POW). They give the details not only of the prisoners who were released after Victory in Japan Day on 15th August 1945, but those who died in captivity.

Types of FEPOW Records on Forces War Records:

While records of POWs held by the Japanese are not as detailed as those of POWs held by Germany and Italy, they are nonetheless an incredibly useful tool for genealogists. In telling a part of a serviceman’s story, they provide information that may lead to the discovery of further leads or records, and ultimately help to uncover the richer details of a serviceman’s story. See the Full Collection lists held on Forces War Records HERE