Hello, and welcome to the History of Japan podcast, Episode 18, Enduring the Unendurable.

On his speech of August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced surrender to the Japanese people.

He told them in one of the greatest understatements of human history that, quote,

the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage,

while the general trends of the world have turned against her interest.

Yeah, no kidding.

Thus, continued the Emperor, quote,

it is in according to the dictates of time and fate

that we have resolved to pave the way for a grand peace for all generations to come,

by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is unsufferable.

The speech and the subsequent surrender ceremony on September 2, 1945,

marked one of the greatest moments of change in Japanese history.

The Allied requirements for ending the war included three basic points,

which are going to be the focus of this week's episode,

and which would have been completely unthinkable a mere few weeks before.

The first was the total disarmament of Japan and the dismantling of the Army and Navy.

The second was the trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity

of the Japanese civilian and military leadership.

And the third, and most important by far,

was the complete restructuring of Japan's economy and society

to prevent the rise of another military state and liberalize

the country along western lines.

...