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End of World War II in Asia

World War II officially ended in Asia on September 2, 1945, with the surrender of Japan on the USS Missouri. 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.

See also: Asiatic-Pacific Theater

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 Americans and British occupied Japan after the end of the war until April 28, 1952, when the Treaty of San Francisco came into effect.

Prelude[edit]

Soviet agreements to invade Japan[edit]

At the Tehran Conference, between November 28 and 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.[1][2] 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.[3]

Timeline of Axis surrenders in World War II

Japanese holdout

Aftermath of World War II