VJ Day: 70 years on
While Japan wept, parties erupted around the world when World War II ended 70 years ago today. Tom Hunt reports that even the Wellington trams stopped.
A CHILD could have carried the metal that brutally ended history’s most deadly war.
World War II, which claimed more than 70 million lives, came to a sudden end 70 years ago today, when Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.
Its emperor was unable to see any more of his people slaughtered. It was an ‘‘Oceanic blitzkrieg’’ following a ‘‘tremendous counter’’ and an ‘‘end without precedent’’, The Evening Post announced.
‘‘No other war has been ended by so unexpected, so shattering, an event as brought about the collapse of Japan.
‘‘A few handfuls of rare metal – a small boy could have carried it – struck the most terrible blows that men had ever inflicted on their fellows.
‘‘Without those appalling demonstrations, the struggle might have cost millions of lives.’’
Earlier that month, the United States had dropped two atomic bombs, containing uranium and plutonium, demolishing the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing tens of thousands of people.
On August 15, Japan’s Emperor Hirohito took to the radio, talking of the power of a ‘‘new and most cruel bomb’’ and offering an unconditional surrender.
The news reached New Zealand at 11am that day and celebrations were held around the Allied world.
The day would become known as VJ Day, or Victory over Japan Day.
As they had on VE Day – marking victory in Europe – in May that year, they knew the day was coming and preparations were in place for celebrations, nzhistory.net.nz says.
‘‘Sirens sounded immediately, a national ceremony was held, and local celebrations followed.
‘‘Once more there were parades, bands playing, thanksgiving services, bonfires, dances and community sports, and again there was a twoday public holiday.’’
Auckland, where there were fewer plans in place, had some ‘‘rowdy elements’’. Fifty-one people were taken to hospital and an estimated 15 tonnes of glass littered streets.
Bonfires blazed outside Buckingham Palace and ‘‘the West End woke up with a hangover’’, The Evening Post reported.
One million people packed the streets of Sydney, and the Netherlands – one of the countries worst affected by the war – had a national holiday. In San Francisco, there were riots in celebration, and six people were killed.
Meanwhile, there was an ‘‘orgy of tears’’ in Japan, the paper said. ‘‘[Tokyo radio] said that the emperor began weeping when he declared he could no longer endure to see his subjects killed in the fire of battle.’’