“Despite the best that has been done by everyone...the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage, while the general trends of the world have all turned against her interest.” That, of course, was the understatement of the century, a speech by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August 1945 announcing Japan’s surrender and the end of the Second World War. But that wasn't the end of the fighting. 

I’m joined by Barrett Tillman, an authority on air warfare in World War II and the author of more than forty nonfiction and fiction books on military topics. His latest is When the Shooting Stopped: August 1945. It’s a fantastic read that explores the characters and decisions behind Japan’s eventual surrender in August 1945 and the events that took place after. We discuss why it took Japan so long to surrender; what might have happened had it surrendered earlier; the dropping of two atomic bombs and a potential third; the Soviet Union’s invasion of Manchuria; Operation Downfall, a planned Allied invasion of Japan; and what happened after Japan did surrender. 

Asian Centuries is a podcast that travels through the history of Asia, from the most famous events and fateful decisions to lesser-known conflicts, coups and catastrophes.

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