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The Fall of Japan: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific
New York Times A “virtually faultless” account of the last weeks of WWII in the Pacific from both Japanese and American perspectives (The New York Times Book Review). By midsummer 1945, Japan had long since lost the war in the Pacific. The people were not told the truth, and neither was the emperor. Japanese generals, admirals, and statesmen knew, but only a handful of leaders were willing to accept defeat. Most were bent on fighting the Allies until the last Japanese soldier died and the last city burned to the ground. Exhaustively researched and vividly told, The Fall of Japan masterfully chronicles the dramatic events that brought an end to the Pacific War and forced a once-mighty military nation to surrender unconditionally. From the ferocious fighting on Okinawa to the all-but-impossible mission to drop the 2nd atom bomb, and from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s White House to the Tokyo bunker where tearful Japanese leaders first told the emperor the truth, William Craig captures the pivotal events of the war with spellbinding authority. The Fall of Japan brings to life both celebrated and lesser-known historical figures, including Admiral Takijiro Onishi, the brash commander who drew up the Yamamoto plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor and inspired the death cult of kamikaze pilots., This astonishing account ranks alongside Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day and John Toland’s The Rising Sun as a masterpiece of World War II history.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
William Craig
76 books42 followersWilliam Craig (1929-1997) was an American author and historian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
August 28, 2017
For those of us fortunate enough to have not lived through World War II, much of that history is a blur. The war in Europe is usually better covered in high school history than the war in the Pacific. For many of us, all we retained (or maybe were taught) was:
1. Japan executed a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
2. The USA finally got its revenge and ended the war by obliterating Hiroshima and Nagasaki four years later.
Perhaps, you had some additional history that went like this:
1. Japan executed a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
a. They controlled much of East and South Asia
b. They pushed the USA out of the Philippines (Gen. MacArthur: “I shall return”)
c. The tide turned at the Battle of Midway Island
d. The USA recaptured the Philippines and fought island by island toward Japan
2. The USA finally got its revenge and ended the war by obliterating Hiroshima and Nagasaki four years later.
Though this book is subtitled: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific, it contains a superlative history of Japan’s internal political conflicts during the 1930’s; a concise narrative of the diplomatic initiatives that could have avoided the use of atomic bombs; the history of the development of nuclear weapons; and, much of the strategy used by Japan and the USA during the last three years of the war.
What sets this history book above most is Craig’s superb narrative skills. He knows just how to make this about more than dates and facts. One way he is able to accomplish this is with excellent research into the individuals involved in each project, sortie, engagement and meeting. We get to know the people and what each of them brings to an event.
This is a great example of how history can be written to be both informative and engaging.
1. Japan executed a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
2. The USA finally got its revenge and ended the war by obliterating Hiroshima and Nagasaki four years later.
Perhaps, you had some additional history that went like this:
1. Japan executed a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
a. They controlled much of East and South Asia
b. They pushed the USA out of the Philippines (Gen. MacArthur: “I shall return”)
c. The tide turned at the Battle of Midway Island
d. The USA recaptured the Philippines and fought island by island toward Japan
2. The USA finally got its revenge and ended the war by obliterating Hiroshima and Nagasaki four years later.
Though this book is subtitled: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific, it contains a superlative history of Japan’s internal political conflicts during the 1930’s; a concise narrative of the diplomatic initiatives that could have avoided the use of atomic bombs; the history of the development of nuclear weapons; and, much of the strategy used by Japan and the USA during the last three years of the war.
What sets this history book above most is Craig’s superb narrative skills. He knows just how to make this about more than dates and facts. One way he is able to accomplish this is with excellent research into the individuals involved in each project, sortie, engagement and meeting. We get to know the people and what each of them brings to an event.
This is a great example of how history can be written to be both informative and engaging.
January 2, 2022
I read this book several years ago.....saw it on my bookshelves and decided to re-read it. With a "to read" list several miles long, it says something about the quality of this book to entice me to do a reread. I stand by my original review as shown below.
_____________
I am a reader of WWII history and suddenly realized that the majority of my choices were set in Europe and North Africa, and very few in the Pacific theater. So I picked up this book in a library sale bin and certainly picked the right one!!
This is a well written history that begins when the Japanese are starting to lose the war, although the first chapter reviews the war from Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and the various islands that the Japanese had conquered. But it is about the fall of Japan and it begins when the majority of the Japanese Navy is on the bottom of the ocean and the Air Force has resorted to the kamikaze. We learn the personalities of the Japanese military leadership, part of whom knew the war was lost and part who wanted to fight it out to the end in the home islands. Plots were boiling under the surface, especially after the nuclear bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. We learn the power of Emperor Hirohito when the chips are down and he announces that surrender is the only choice. He prevails, of course and the majority of the leading military leaders commit hari kari in humiliation for failing their Emperor. We follow the activities of accomplishing unconditional surrender up until the famous four words uttered by General MacArthur on board the USS Missouri......"These proceedings are closed".
Highly recommended......an excellent book for the WWII buff.
_____________
I am a reader of WWII history and suddenly realized that the majority of my choices were set in Europe and North Africa, and very few in the Pacific theater. So I picked up this book in a library sale bin and certainly picked the right one!!
This is a well written history that begins when the Japanese are starting to lose the war, although the first chapter reviews the war from Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and the various islands that the Japanese had conquered. But it is about the fall of Japan and it begins when the majority of the Japanese Navy is on the bottom of the ocean and the Air Force has resorted to the kamikaze. We learn the personalities of the Japanese military leadership, part of whom knew the war was lost and part who wanted to fight it out to the end in the home islands. Plots were boiling under the surface, especially after the nuclear bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. We learn the power of Emperor Hirohito when the chips are down and he announces that surrender is the only choice. He prevails, of course and the majority of the leading military leaders commit hari kari in humiliation for failing their Emperor. We follow the activities of accomplishing unconditional surrender up until the famous four words uttered by General MacArthur on board the USS Missouri......"These proceedings are closed".
Highly recommended......an excellent book for the WWII buff.
October 2, 2023
Always interesting, well written history starting with a brief explanation of the position the Japanese military and civilian leaders found themselves in late 1944. The book follows the end of the war from the Japanese retreat from the south towards the Home Islands and includes the fall of occupied islands, use of kamikaze, and ultimately two atomic bombs.
The part I found most interesting was the shaky last month between Emperor Hirohito’s acceptance of the Potsdam treaty and the arrival of Americans about a month later. The unknowns for both sides are described very well.
The part I found most interesting was the shaky last month between Emperor Hirohito’s acceptance of the Potsdam treaty and the arrival of Americans about a month later. The unknowns for both sides are described very well.
October 21, 2013
I am a reader of WWII history and suddenly realized that the majority of my choices were set in Europe and North Africa, and very few in the Pacific theater. So I picked up this book in a library sale bin and certainly picked the right one!!
This is a well written history that begins when the Japanese are starting to lose the war, although the first chapter reviews the war from Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and the various islands that the Japanese had conquered. But it is about the fall of Japan and it begins when the majority of the Japanese Navy is on the bottom of the ocean and the Air Force has resorted to the kamikaze. We learn the personalities of the Japanese military leadership, part of whom knew the war was lost and part who wanted to fight it out to the end in the home islands. Plots were boiling under the surface, especially after the nuclear bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. We learn the power of Emperor Hirohito when the chips are down and he announces that surrender is the only choice. He prevails, of course and the majority of the leading military leaders commit hari kari in humiliation for failing their Emperor. We follow the activities of accomplishing unconditional surrender up until the famous four words uttered by General MacArthur on board the USS Missouri......"These proceedings are closed".
Highly recommended......an excellent book for the WWII buff.
This is a well written history that begins when the Japanese are starting to lose the war, although the first chapter reviews the war from Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and the various islands that the Japanese had conquered. But it is about the fall of Japan and it begins when the majority of the Japanese Navy is on the bottom of the ocean and the Air Force has resorted to the kamikaze. We learn the personalities of the Japanese military leadership, part of whom knew the war was lost and part who wanted to fight it out to the end in the home islands. Plots were boiling under the surface, especially after the nuclear bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. We learn the power of Emperor Hirohito when the chips are down and he announces that surrender is the only choice. He prevails, of course and the majority of the leading military leaders commit hari kari in humiliation for failing their Emperor. We follow the activities of accomplishing unconditional surrender up until the famous four words uttered by General MacArthur on board the USS Missouri......"These proceedings are closed".
Highly recommended......an excellent book for the WWII buff.
July 15, 2019
There is a lot to absorb in Craig's recounting of the latter days of the War in the Pacific. He is a superb historian and writer by which I mean that this is fair, balanced and riveting without being overly dramatic. Mark Ashby is an excellent choice for narrating this full version of the original book.
We get all full measure of documentation and insight into Japanese culture, the personalities involved and the cult of the military that gave evidence in the early 1930s that Japan was "on the move."
In one brilliant chapter, Craig pulls all the disparate strings together (about an hour's worth of narration) in describing the antecedents to and the elements of the plans that eventually led to the dropping of "Fat Boy" on the city of Nagasaki. He does not spare the reader from the terrible mental images of individual harm nor does he neglect the military SNAFUs that accompanied this plan.
I find the need to come back to this book because there is so much that Craig offers those of us who know little about this period or part of our world.
We get all full measure of documentation and insight into Japanese culture, the personalities involved and the cult of the military that gave evidence in the early 1930s that Japan was "on the move."
In one brilliant chapter, Craig pulls all the disparate strings together (about an hour's worth of narration) in describing the antecedents to and the elements of the plans that eventually led to the dropping of "Fat Boy" on the city of Nagasaki. He does not spare the reader from the terrible mental images of individual harm nor does he neglect the military SNAFUs that accompanied this plan.
I find the need to come back to this book because there is so much that Craig offers those of us who know little about this period or part of our world.
October 7, 2020
I *WANT* to give this book 4 stars.
Heck, I *WANT* to give this book 5 stars.
Objectively speaking, it is probably a 4 or 5 star book... in the 1960s.
Unfortunately, literary and scholarly standards have changed.
While this book was probably a premier book when written---and is still a good book---it does feel a little aged.
The book is about the final weeks of WWII in Japan. It is very interesting to learn about how the war ended. The fear that the Japanese felt as they "welcomed" their conquerors. It is not something that people in 2020 think about, but in 1945 the Japanese were afriad that the arrival of Allied (e.g. American) troops would result in rape and pillaging.
This book, written in the 60s, portrays Americans as the galliant knight arriving and betraying all of the negative stereotypes the Japanese had of Americans.
While I would like to believe that Americans were more humane and accomodating than the USSR might have been, the portrayal is almost too clean.
The scholarship is also very limited. Again, this is possibly due to the age of the book and the expectations of the period---but there are extensive narratives quoting various individuals. But the notes simply say, "See this source." Too many quotes with vague references to make me feel entirely comfortable with the citation.
Of course, this raises questions about subsequent books. I have zero doubt that this book is cited as authoritative by other sources---but is it really?
Don't get me wrong. This is a well written book, but I can't quite give it the credit that it probably deserves.
Heck, I *WANT* to give this book 5 stars.
Objectively speaking, it is probably a 4 or 5 star book... in the 1960s.
Unfortunately, literary and scholarly standards have changed.
While this book was probably a premier book when written---and is still a good book---it does feel a little aged.
The book is about the final weeks of WWII in Japan. It is very interesting to learn about how the war ended. The fear that the Japanese felt as they "welcomed" their conquerors. It is not something that people in 2020 think about, but in 1945 the Japanese were afriad that the arrival of Allied (e.g. American) troops would result in rape and pillaging.
This book, written in the 60s, portrays Americans as the galliant knight arriving and betraying all of the negative stereotypes the Japanese had of Americans.
While I would like to believe that Americans were more humane and accomodating than the USSR might have been, the portrayal is almost too clean.
The scholarship is also very limited. Again, this is possibly due to the age of the book and the expectations of the period---but there are extensive narratives quoting various individuals. But the notes simply say, "See this source." Too many quotes with vague references to make me feel entirely comfortable with the citation.
Of course, this raises questions about subsequent books. I have zero doubt that this book is cited as authoritative by other sources---but is it really?
Don't get me wrong. This is a well written book, but I can't quite give it the credit that it probably deserves.
November 16, 2019
This book details what happened in the Pacific Theatre at the end of WWII. The section on the fighting on Okinawa and plans for the invasion of Japan is fairly straightforward so it is really the material on what happens after the dropping of the two atomic bombs in August, 1945, that gives this book a special feel.
75 years after those horror-filled days, it is difficult to realize the lengths that some Japanese were willing to go to preserve their honor. The threat of rebellion by some of the younger officers resulted in murder and terror before being quashed. Fortunately, some individuals realized they 'would have to endure the unendurable' or their nation might cease to exist. Once the surrender became known, a litany of suicides became the norm as those who played a great part in the war tried to expiate their shame.
The Allies certainly seemed to realize what was at stake if they let their own armies get out of hand, and it would have been so easy to do so after the atrocities became known. In going from war to peace the victors had to find a way to balance the need to punish, and a way to heal a world gone mad. That they did so is to their credit.
75 years after those horror-filled days, it is difficult to realize the lengths that some Japanese were willing to go to preserve their honor. The threat of rebellion by some of the younger officers resulted in murder and terror before being quashed. Fortunately, some individuals realized they 'would have to endure the unendurable' or their nation might cease to exist. Once the surrender became known, a litany of suicides became the norm as those who played a great part in the war tried to expiate their shame.
The Allies certainly seemed to realize what was at stake if they let their own armies get out of hand, and it would have been so easy to do so after the atrocities became known. In going from war to peace the victors had to find a way to balance the need to punish, and a way to heal a world gone mad. That they did so is to their credit.
January 29, 2018
This is my second time with this book; the first was the Kindle Edition. This audio book is read well by Mark Ashby and at about 11 hours on one MP3 disk has proved to be a great way to remind me of some of Craig's key insights. His writing and Ashby's reading are a good match.
July 29, 2022
By midsummer 1945, Japan had long since lost the war in the Pacific. An objective view would have shown this easily, but the Japanese simply couldn't accept. This was for me the main message in this book, where William Craig describes the final weeks of World War II in the Pacific from the Japanese perspective.
Particularly well described is effect of the Atomic bombs and the decision by the Japanese emperor to overrule custom and insist that the war be ended and the subsequent coup d'état by disgrumbled soldiers, unwilling to 'face the unbearable'.
Particularly well described is effect of the Atomic bombs and the decision by the Japanese emperor to overrule custom and insist that the war be ended and the subsequent coup d'état by disgrumbled soldiers, unwilling to 'face the unbearable'.
March 20, 2021
My father was in the Pacific at the end of the war, serving at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Reading this one realizes the large and also small, personal scope of what was happening. Through this book we know more than any of the participants at the time did. The dichotomy of war, both its savagery and utter uselessness is displayed against the need to bring peace. Highly recommended.
April 8, 2025
I expected this book to cover the final battles of the war and the last few months. Instead, it talks only briefly of the atomic bombs and their use on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But most of the book concerns itself with the struggle of Japan's military leaders to agree to surrender. The ill-planned attempts at overthrowing the government by lower level leaders who felt the war should continue are dealt with in detail, followed by the occupation of Japan a mere 30 days after the first atomic bomb was dropped.
I had no idea just how tenuous the decision was to surrender, the verbal battles fought amongst the highest leaders in spite of Hirohito's professed desire to end the war. And still the surrender and agreement to accept the Potsdam Agreement hung by a thread, down through many levels of the military. William Craig did an excellent job of researching and putting a human face on the fall of Japan's military government. Also, the heroic roles of those who parachuted in to save the lives of the many POWs held by Japanese armies who didn't even know the war had ended. And it's a heartbreaking account of those last days as you become acquainted with the humiliation and struggles of those who had began and prosecuted an extremely brutal war. Definitely an outstanding and human perspective of the end of WW2 in the Pacific.
I had no idea just how tenuous the decision was to surrender, the verbal battles fought amongst the highest leaders in spite of Hirohito's professed desire to end the war. And still the surrender and agreement to accept the Potsdam Agreement hung by a thread, down through many levels of the military. William Craig did an excellent job of researching and putting a human face on the fall of Japan's military government. Also, the heroic roles of those who parachuted in to save the lives of the many POWs held by Japanese armies who didn't even know the war had ended. And it's a heartbreaking account of those last days as you become acquainted with the humiliation and struggles of those who had began and prosecuted an extremely brutal war. Definitely an outstanding and human perspective of the end of WW2 in the Pacific.
December 2, 2019
This is a well researched book. It covers the last few weeks of the war with Japan. It also goes over the start of the war as well. Its has both the Japanese and American perspectives, though I would say it leans more toward the Japanese side. I was not aware of all the stuff that had gone on with the Japanese side to both prevent the surrender and to mess it up. Also interesting to know that the war was not supported by the Emperor.
November 18, 2015
I have been reading a significant amount of history lately and this is a book that I immediately downloaded off NetGalley when I saw that it was available. Part of the reason why I wanted to read it was because I have read a ton of World War II books, but mostly from the German or allied powers side. I admit that the Japanese contribution has always been a bit of a mystery to me (outside of the obvious Pearl Harbor attack), so this book was right up my alley. The Fall of Japan is a quick read, if you can call a history read quick. I say this because the narrative is so robust that the events as they are described are done in such a way to make you feel as if you are reading a really good fiction novel. I often forgot that I was reading true events that actually took place, and that is a testament to how adept a writer William Craig is. The book starts off with the battle for the Southern Pacific and how the U.S. attempted to gain a foothold in that area from which to establish a launching off point for the Battle of Iwo Jima and other such battles off Japan's coast. What I thought made this novel incredibly effective is how the author transitioned from both points of view of the major Generals involved. It gave a keen insight into what each side thought was paramount in prosecuting the war and allowed the reader to also see the vulnerabilities of these leaders as they had moments of self-doubt. The author then proceeds to describe the moments that turned the tide for the U.S. and ultimately what led to the two devastating atomic bombs dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truly a solid book that I believe everyone should read to get a better insight into the part of World War II that often gets overshadowed by the German campaign.
September 19, 2015
I received a prepublication copy of this book (September 29, 2015) through NetGalley with the understanding that I would publish are review on my blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google + pages along with NetGalley, Amazon and Goodreads.
I requested this book because I am an avid reader about American history including World War II. This is the first book by William Craig that I have read. This is a reprint of the original that was published a number of years ago.
I found this book to an interesting read. While it addressed historical events the author presented it in a style that was easy to read and engaging. It is well researched and I learned several details about the end of World War II in the Pacific that has not surfaced in other books that I have read on the subject.
Craig does a very good job of covering the end from both sides, the American and the Japanese, without the hyperbole and unnecessary drama that I have seen in other books.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in American History and in particular the events surrounding the end of World War II in the Pacific.
I requested this book because I am an avid reader about American history including World War II. This is the first book by William Craig that I have read. This is a reprint of the original that was published a number of years ago.
I found this book to an interesting read. While it addressed historical events the author presented it in a style that was easy to read and engaging. It is well researched and I learned several details about the end of World War II in the Pacific that has not surfaced in other books that I have read on the subject.
Craig does a very good job of covering the end from both sides, the American and the Japanese, without the hyperbole and unnecessary drama that I have seen in other books.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in American History and in particular the events surrounding the end of World War II in the Pacific.
August 28, 2011
This book covers in great detail the last two months of the war in the Pacific through the signing of the surrender documents on the Missouri. It was written in 1967 and has languished in my library for many a year. Page 263 has a reference to a captured B25 crew that was involved in the 1942 bombing of Tokyo. Their trial was documented in a 1944 movie starring Dana Andrews. All had thought they were executed but four were found alive in China at the end of the war.
August 30, 2008
This is not an "I can't put this book down!" book. I gave it 4 stars because it gave insight into the final days of WWII. It tells the 'story behind the story.' If you are a history buff and like WWII in particular you will like this book. I am and I did!
March 17, 2021
Few people today wonder what led to Japan’s unconditional surrender in World War II. The United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Emperor caved. Job done. But of course the reality was far more complex. And the outcome was anything but certain.
Twenty-two years after the war ended, American historian William Craig revealed how that decision came about. He dug into hidden documents and spoke with dozens of those who played pivotal roles at the time both in Japan and the US. Day-by-day, and often hour by hour, Craig reconstructed the events that unfolded in Tokyo as the Empire of Japan pondered the Allies’ inflexible demands. He focused on the fateful days between August 9, 1945, when Fat Man detonated over Nagasaki, and August 15, when Emperor Hirohito radioed a message to Switzerland accepting the Allied terms of surrender. The story Craig tells in The Fall of Japan is at once compelling, disturbing, and illuminating. This book is a stellar example of how history can shine a bright light underneath the surface myths and reveal the messy human reality of the past.
What really led up to Japan’s unconditional surrender
Emperor Hirohito (1901-89) was universally revered as a god by the Japanese people. Small wonder, then, that readers three-quarters of a century later might assume that all the man had to do was snap his fingers for the government to do his bidding. But that was far from the truth. Centuries earlier, during the shogunate of the Edo period (1600–1868), powerful warlords had sharply curtailed the emperor’s power. Although he was nominally restored to supreme power during the Meiji period (1868–1912), it was former samurai rather than the emperor who exercised real power.
Hirohito’s role was largely ceremonial
By the time Hirohito ascended to the throne in 1926, he was expected to observe the government and remain silent. Although controversy continues to surround his role in launching and prosecuting World War II, William Craig’s account makes clear that Hirohito quietly supported the military throughout the conflict. Only in the darkest days of August 1945 after nuclear weapons fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union attacked the Japanese army in Manchuria did the emperor understand the end was truly at hand. But when he and members of his court and cabinet began to maneuver behind the scenes to move toward peace, the military pushed back. Japan’s unconditional surrender? Unthinkable!
Diplomats struggled to reach a peace agreement
As Craig notes, “While the new American President grappled with the problems of impending victory in the Pacific, and while the new Japanese Premier endeavored to construct some workable alternatives to absolute defeat, diplomatic and intelligence personnel of both nations were engaged in desperate, yet hopeful, schemes for ending the conflict quickly.” Yet their hopes foundered on the shoals of resistance by Japan’s military. And the military overshadowed the civilians in what was known as “the Big Six, Japan’s ‘inner cabinet,’ formally named the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War.” The war cabinet, in other words.
The military was fanatically committed to continuing the war
Ever since the renegade Kwantung Army attacked Chinese troops in the Mukden Incident in 1931, the Japanese military had been in the driver’s seat in Tokyo. For fourteen years, the army and navy dominated government policy, often in bitter conflict with each other. Of the two, the army was, if anything, more powerful. But the power dynamics were complex. Within both services, there were senior officers (most notably the late Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto) who recognized the suicidal folly of attacking the United States at Pearl Harbor.
Among the civilian leadership, too, opinion was divided. But as fighting raged across the Pacific, the dissenters remained quiet. A succession of Prime Ministers were forced to bow to the will of the Army, not least in fear of their lives if they contradicted the generals. And when the emperor consulted privately with members of his cabinet during the final months of the war, virtually all advised continuing to fight. Only one urged a negotiated settlement—even though unconditional surrender alone was on the table.
Only when all hope was lost did Hirohito speak out
Meanwhile, the US Army and Navy continued island-hopping ever closer to Japan’s home islands. By the time Okinawa fell in July 1945, it was clear to all but the most fanatic military officers that defeat was certain. But it was the fanatics who called the shots. Even after the two atomic bombs were dropped and the Soviet Union entered the war, the top leadership was sharply divided. The six-member war cabinet split down the middle, three against three. And the three who resisted either were “zealots, who still believed surrender a worse fate than death,” or feared retribution from younger officers. Eventually, Hirohito succumbed to pressure from members of his family and the peace faction in the cabinet and broke nearly a century of precedent to speak out for peace. Against all odds, Japan’s unconditional surrender became inevitable.
Hirohito informed the war cabinet that “I have studied the terms of the Allied reply and . . . I consider the reply to be acceptable. . . I cannot endure the thought of letting my people suffer any longer. . . At this point, the Emperor broke down” in tears, Craig reports. “Instead of rising to bow before the Emperor, most sat crying into their hands. Two men slid onto the floor. On elbows and knees, they cried uncontrollably.” But their devotion to the emperor prevailed.
The leadership, even the most fanatic militarists, acceded to his wish for a settlement—but the opposition in much of the officer corps remained steadfast. And fanatic junior officers—colonels, majors, captains—organized first one coup attempt, then another. Craig follows their activities almost hour by hour during those fraught six days from the sixth through the fifteenth of August. They came perilously close to assassinating the leaders of the peace faction, kidnapping Hirohito, and closing off all hope of dealing with the Allies.
“The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage”
Fanatic younger officers rampaging through the Imperial Palace failed to find the phonograph record of the emperor’s message to the people of Japan announcing the surrender. But it was a close call. And they did murder one of the most powerful members of the cabinet. Others in the leadership committed suicide, unable to face the reality of surrender or consumed by guilt over the loss. Finally, however, the Japanese people heard Emperor Hirohito’s high-pitched voice on the radio for the first time ever, declaring that the war was over.
Even the words Hirohito spoke reflected the deep divisions within the empire’s leadership—and his own ambivalence—as well as a cultural bias against directness. “The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage,” he announced, “while the general trends of the world have all turned against her interest” and thus “we have decided to effect a settlement of the present situation by resorting to an extraordinary measure.” Not only did Hirohito avoid using the word “surrender.” He also failed to acknowledge that by accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, he was bowing to the inevitability of Japan’s unconditional surrender.
Why the Japanese resisted unconditional surrender
Fear of being accountable for war crimes
For most Americans, the historical memory of atrocities in World War II centers on the Holocaust. But there was no lack of depravity in the Pacific region. In the Rape of Nanking (December 1937 to January 1938), between 50,000 and 300,000 Chinese died during those six weeks. Japanese commanders released their troops to wreak havoc in other Chinese cities as well. Tens of thousands more died. And Japanese soldiers inflicted the same sadism and brutality on the nearly 140,000 Allied military personnel they captured in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
“By the time the war was over,” the British site Forces War Records reports, “a total of more than 30,000 POWs had died from starvation, diseases, and mistreatment both within and outside of the Japanese Mainland.” But none of this was unknown to either the military or the civilian leadership in Tokyo. And it was fear of being held to account for these crimes against humanity that played a leading role in Japan’s ferocious resistance to unconditional surrender even when all hope of victory was long gone.
Fear that the emperor would be deposed
But most accounts single out another concern that motivated the resistance to unconditional surrender among the Japanese leadership. To their minds, the imperial dynasty represented twenty-six hundred years of Japanese history. It was unthinkable that ending the war might bring that dynasty to an inglorious end. Even the most determined members of the peace faction in Japanese diplomatic circles emphasized the importance of preserving the emperor’s role in their overtures to the Allies through neutral Switzerland and Sweden.
But the root cause of the resistance was fanaticism
In the final analysis, however, it was fanaticism, pure and simple, that lay at the foundation of the resistance to surrendering. For the overwhelming majority of Japanese soldiers and sailors, and particularly so for the officers, abject devotion to the Bushidō warrior’s code caused them to reject reality. One of the primary values in the samurai life was loyalty and honor until death, never defeat, capture, and shame. For several years, ever since the tide of battle began to shift against them, thousands of Japanese soldiers at a time had ended their lives in suicidal charges against entrenched American forces. And the pace of these insanely self-destructive tactics increased in the final months of the conflict. Beginning in October 1944, a total of 3,800 kamikaze pilots willingly went to their deaths in suicidal attacks on American warships.
A rich source of insight and perspective
The Fall of Japan is an abundant source of insight and perspective on the final weeks of World War II in the Pacific. Although the author’s emphasis is on the struggle inside Tokyo during the critical six days that led up to Japan’s unconditional surrender, he relates many other aspects of the story in telling detail.
The fateful role of the American Air Force
Craig traces the emergence of the US Army Air Force as a central player in the war’s endgame. He details the firebombing strategy of General Curtis Lemay (1906-90) that killed far more Japanese than both the atomic bombs. Craig characterizes the firebombing of Tokyo as “the most ferocious holocaust ever visited on a civilized community.” The bombing there destroyed over 250,000 buildings, flattened almost sixteen square miles, and killed more than 100,000. Later, he follows the development of the plan to drop the atom bomb, dogging the footsteps of the crews of the B-29s through weeks of training and then on their fateful runs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His shattering accounts of the consequences for the people of those two doomed cities call to mind John Hersey’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning reporting in his 1946 book, Hiroshima.
Continuing resistance by Japanese soldiers
Even after the emperor’s message was broadcast, fanatic soldiers and sailors continued to act as though the war had not ended. Some rounded up captured B-29 pilots and summarily executed them. Others murdered their own colleagues who refused to join in continuing efforts to undermine the surrender. “Both in Japan and on the fringes of the Empire,” Craig reports, “trouble continued to plague the attempts at orderly surrender.” American soldiers pressed into the OSS to advance the American occupation of Japanese POW camps found themselves taken prisoner by camp commandants who doubted the authenticity of reports about the surrender. And the American soldiers who were first sent to Japan landed in fear of their lives. The Japanese officers sent to welcome them were fearful, too, that some deranged soldier might open up on them with a semi-automatic weapon.
About the author
Historian and novelist William Craig (1929-97) wrote two espionage thrillers as well as two widely respected nonfiction works about World War II. As his bio at the back reveals, “he interrupted his career as an advertising salesman to appear on the quiz show Tic-Tac-Dough in 1958. With his $42,000 in winnings—a record-breaking amount at the time—Craig enrolled at Columbia University and earned both an undergraduate and a master’s degree in history.” The Fall of Japan was the first product of his education.
Twenty-two years after the war ended, American historian William Craig revealed how that decision came about. He dug into hidden documents and spoke with dozens of those who played pivotal roles at the time both in Japan and the US. Day-by-day, and often hour by hour, Craig reconstructed the events that unfolded in Tokyo as the Empire of Japan pondered the Allies’ inflexible demands. He focused on the fateful days between August 9, 1945, when Fat Man detonated over Nagasaki, and August 15, when Emperor Hirohito radioed a message to Switzerland accepting the Allied terms of surrender. The story Craig tells in The Fall of Japan is at once compelling, disturbing, and illuminating. This book is a stellar example of how history can shine a bright light underneath the surface myths and reveal the messy human reality of the past.
What really led up to Japan’s unconditional surrender
Emperor Hirohito (1901-89) was universally revered as a god by the Japanese people. Small wonder, then, that readers three-quarters of a century later might assume that all the man had to do was snap his fingers for the government to do his bidding. But that was far from the truth. Centuries earlier, during the shogunate of the Edo period (1600–1868), powerful warlords had sharply curtailed the emperor’s power. Although he was nominally restored to supreme power during the Meiji period (1868–1912), it was former samurai rather than the emperor who exercised real power.
Hirohito’s role was largely ceremonial
By the time Hirohito ascended to the throne in 1926, he was expected to observe the government and remain silent. Although controversy continues to surround his role in launching and prosecuting World War II, William Craig’s account makes clear that Hirohito quietly supported the military throughout the conflict. Only in the darkest days of August 1945 after nuclear weapons fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union attacked the Japanese army in Manchuria did the emperor understand the end was truly at hand. But when he and members of his court and cabinet began to maneuver behind the scenes to move toward peace, the military pushed back. Japan’s unconditional surrender? Unthinkable!
Diplomats struggled to reach a peace agreement
As Craig notes, “While the new American President grappled with the problems of impending victory in the Pacific, and while the new Japanese Premier endeavored to construct some workable alternatives to absolute defeat, diplomatic and intelligence personnel of both nations were engaged in desperate, yet hopeful, schemes for ending the conflict quickly.” Yet their hopes foundered on the shoals of resistance by Japan’s military. And the military overshadowed the civilians in what was known as “the Big Six, Japan’s ‘inner cabinet,’ formally named the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War.” The war cabinet, in other words.
The military was fanatically committed to continuing the war
Ever since the renegade Kwantung Army attacked Chinese troops in the Mukden Incident in 1931, the Japanese military had been in the driver’s seat in Tokyo. For fourteen years, the army and navy dominated government policy, often in bitter conflict with each other. Of the two, the army was, if anything, more powerful. But the power dynamics were complex. Within both services, there were senior officers (most notably the late Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto) who recognized the suicidal folly of attacking the United States at Pearl Harbor.
Among the civilian leadership, too, opinion was divided. But as fighting raged across the Pacific, the dissenters remained quiet. A succession of Prime Ministers were forced to bow to the will of the Army, not least in fear of their lives if they contradicted the generals. And when the emperor consulted privately with members of his cabinet during the final months of the war, virtually all advised continuing to fight. Only one urged a negotiated settlement—even though unconditional surrender alone was on the table.
Only when all hope was lost did Hirohito speak out
Meanwhile, the US Army and Navy continued island-hopping ever closer to Japan’s home islands. By the time Okinawa fell in July 1945, it was clear to all but the most fanatic military officers that defeat was certain. But it was the fanatics who called the shots. Even after the two atomic bombs were dropped and the Soviet Union entered the war, the top leadership was sharply divided. The six-member war cabinet split down the middle, three against three. And the three who resisted either were “zealots, who still believed surrender a worse fate than death,” or feared retribution from younger officers. Eventually, Hirohito succumbed to pressure from members of his family and the peace faction in the cabinet and broke nearly a century of precedent to speak out for peace. Against all odds, Japan’s unconditional surrender became inevitable.
Hirohito informed the war cabinet that “I have studied the terms of the Allied reply and . . . I consider the reply to be acceptable. . . I cannot endure the thought of letting my people suffer any longer. . . At this point, the Emperor broke down” in tears, Craig reports. “Instead of rising to bow before the Emperor, most sat crying into their hands. Two men slid onto the floor. On elbows and knees, they cried uncontrollably.” But their devotion to the emperor prevailed.
The leadership, even the most fanatic militarists, acceded to his wish for a settlement—but the opposition in much of the officer corps remained steadfast. And fanatic junior officers—colonels, majors, captains—organized first one coup attempt, then another. Craig follows their activities almost hour by hour during those fraught six days from the sixth through the fifteenth of August. They came perilously close to assassinating the leaders of the peace faction, kidnapping Hirohito, and closing off all hope of dealing with the Allies.
“The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage”
Fanatic younger officers rampaging through the Imperial Palace failed to find the phonograph record of the emperor’s message to the people of Japan announcing the surrender. But it was a close call. And they did murder one of the most powerful members of the cabinet. Others in the leadership committed suicide, unable to face the reality of surrender or consumed by guilt over the loss. Finally, however, the Japanese people heard Emperor Hirohito’s high-pitched voice on the radio for the first time ever, declaring that the war was over.
Even the words Hirohito spoke reflected the deep divisions within the empire’s leadership—and his own ambivalence—as well as a cultural bias against directness. “The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage,” he announced, “while the general trends of the world have all turned against her interest” and thus “we have decided to effect a settlement of the present situation by resorting to an extraordinary measure.” Not only did Hirohito avoid using the word “surrender.” He also failed to acknowledge that by accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, he was bowing to the inevitability of Japan’s unconditional surrender.
Why the Japanese resisted unconditional surrender
Fear of being accountable for war crimes
For most Americans, the historical memory of atrocities in World War II centers on the Holocaust. But there was no lack of depravity in the Pacific region. In the Rape of Nanking (December 1937 to January 1938), between 50,000 and 300,000 Chinese died during those six weeks. Japanese commanders released their troops to wreak havoc in other Chinese cities as well. Tens of thousands more died. And Japanese soldiers inflicted the same sadism and brutality on the nearly 140,000 Allied military personnel they captured in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
“By the time the war was over,” the British site Forces War Records reports, “a total of more than 30,000 POWs had died from starvation, diseases, and mistreatment both within and outside of the Japanese Mainland.” But none of this was unknown to either the military or the civilian leadership in Tokyo. And it was fear of being held to account for these crimes against humanity that played a leading role in Japan’s ferocious resistance to unconditional surrender even when all hope of victory was long gone.
Fear that the emperor would be deposed
But most accounts single out another concern that motivated the resistance to unconditional surrender among the Japanese leadership. To their minds, the imperial dynasty represented twenty-six hundred years of Japanese history. It was unthinkable that ending the war might bring that dynasty to an inglorious end. Even the most determined members of the peace faction in Japanese diplomatic circles emphasized the importance of preserving the emperor’s role in their overtures to the Allies through neutral Switzerland and Sweden.
But the root cause of the resistance was fanaticism
In the final analysis, however, it was fanaticism, pure and simple, that lay at the foundation of the resistance to surrendering. For the overwhelming majority of Japanese soldiers and sailors, and particularly so for the officers, abject devotion to the Bushidō warrior’s code caused them to reject reality. One of the primary values in the samurai life was loyalty and honor until death, never defeat, capture, and shame. For several years, ever since the tide of battle began to shift against them, thousands of Japanese soldiers at a time had ended their lives in suicidal charges against entrenched American forces. And the pace of these insanely self-destructive tactics increased in the final months of the conflict. Beginning in October 1944, a total of 3,800 kamikaze pilots willingly went to their deaths in suicidal attacks on American warships.
A rich source of insight and perspective
The Fall of Japan is an abundant source of insight and perspective on the final weeks of World War II in the Pacific. Although the author’s emphasis is on the struggle inside Tokyo during the critical six days that led up to Japan’s unconditional surrender, he relates many other aspects of the story in telling detail.
The fateful role of the American Air Force
Craig traces the emergence of the US Army Air Force as a central player in the war’s endgame. He details the firebombing strategy of General Curtis Lemay (1906-90) that killed far more Japanese than both the atomic bombs. Craig characterizes the firebombing of Tokyo as “the most ferocious holocaust ever visited on a civilized community.” The bombing there destroyed over 250,000 buildings, flattened almost sixteen square miles, and killed more than 100,000. Later, he follows the development of the plan to drop the atom bomb, dogging the footsteps of the crews of the B-29s through weeks of training and then on their fateful runs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His shattering accounts of the consequences for the people of those two doomed cities call to mind John Hersey’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning reporting in his 1946 book, Hiroshima.
Continuing resistance by Japanese soldiers
Even after the emperor’s message was broadcast, fanatic soldiers and sailors continued to act as though the war had not ended. Some rounded up captured B-29 pilots and summarily executed them. Others murdered their own colleagues who refused to join in continuing efforts to undermine the surrender. “Both in Japan and on the fringes of the Empire,” Craig reports, “trouble continued to plague the attempts at orderly surrender.” American soldiers pressed into the OSS to advance the American occupation of Japanese POW camps found themselves taken prisoner by camp commandants who doubted the authenticity of reports about the surrender. And the American soldiers who were first sent to Japan landed in fear of their lives. The Japanese officers sent to welcome them were fearful, too, that some deranged soldier might open up on them with a semi-automatic weapon.
About the author
Historian and novelist William Craig (1929-97) wrote two espionage thrillers as well as two widely respected nonfiction works about World War II. As his bio at the back reveals, “he interrupted his career as an advertising salesman to appear on the quiz show Tic-Tac-Dough in 1958. With his $42,000 in winnings—a record-breaking amount at the time—Craig enrolled at Columbia University and earned both an undergraduate and a master’s degree in history.” The Fall of Japan was the first product of his education.
January 2, 2018
This detailed and very readable book tells the story of the final weeks of the war from both the Japanese and American perspectives with great sensitivity. The Japanese perspective is particularly valuable, as it is rarer to find, at least in English-language accounts of the war.
Craig does take a definite stance on two issues that have been subjects of controversy since the end of the war: whether the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary to speed the surrender of Japan; and what was the responsibility of Emperor Hirohito for the war's beginning and end. Craig portrays the Emperor as a man who, early in his reign, had little interest in--or real control over--the military, relying upon the counsel of advisors and allowing his commanders to handle matters while he concentrated on the ceremonies associated with his position and on his personal interests, such as oceanography. This view appears well-supported by the testimony of Craig's many sources, but it should be noted that both the Japanese government and the occupation forces endorsed this view of the Emperor's role, while several historians have argued that he was, in fact, personally involved to a much greater extent. On the question of the bombs, Craig suggests that the bombings were necessary: that even after both bombs were dropped, the surrender of Japan was hotly debated and only agreed upon after the personal intervention of the Emperor.
Craig peppers his book with many personal accounts, which (mostly) enhance rather than distracting from the overall narrative. These stories help to maintain a balance between a grand, international drama and intimate, often tragic, details of how individual lives were impacted. Missing from this are voices from the other participants in the Pacific Theater, especially China and the Soviet Union.
My only other complaint is that, considering his importance to the war, and his prominence near the close of the book, more attention might have been paid at the beginning to Hideki Tojo's role in the war and his subsequent fall from grace (this was touched on only briefly). Still, my verdict is that this is a very good book, highly recommended to those interested in WWII or modern Japan.
Craig does take a definite stance on two issues that have been subjects of controversy since the end of the war: whether the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary to speed the surrender of Japan; and what was the responsibility of Emperor Hirohito for the war's beginning and end. Craig portrays the Emperor as a man who, early in his reign, had little interest in--or real control over--the military, relying upon the counsel of advisors and allowing his commanders to handle matters while he concentrated on the ceremonies associated with his position and on his personal interests, such as oceanography. This view appears well-supported by the testimony of Craig's many sources, but it should be noted that both the Japanese government and the occupation forces endorsed this view of the Emperor's role, while several historians have argued that he was, in fact, personally involved to a much greater extent. On the question of the bombs, Craig suggests that the bombings were necessary: that even after both bombs were dropped, the surrender of Japan was hotly debated and only agreed upon after the personal intervention of the Emperor.
Craig peppers his book with many personal accounts, which (mostly) enhance rather than distracting from the overall narrative. These stories help to maintain a balance between a grand, international drama and intimate, often tragic, details of how individual lives were impacted. Missing from this are voices from the other participants in the Pacific Theater, especially China and the Soviet Union.
My only other complaint is that, considering his importance to the war, and his prominence near the close of the book, more attention might have been paid at the beginning to Hideki Tojo's role in the war and his subsequent fall from grace (this was touched on only briefly). Still, my verdict is that this is a very good book, highly recommended to those interested in WWII or modern Japan.
September 14, 2018
Great book - very highly recommended! A short overview of the Pacific theater and a fascinating play-by-play of how the surrender actually happened in Japan. May fuel extreme anger toward Japan for their actions and justifications for those actions during the war.
I am taking any and all WWII book recommendations after our visit to the WWII museum in NOLA!
I am taking any and all WWII book recommendations after our visit to the WWII museum in NOLA!
March 1, 2019
The Amazon description gushes about this book: “exhaustively researched”, “virtually faultless”, “vividly told”, “masterfully chronicles”, “spellbinding authority“, “astonishing account”. From my perspective, that description is way over-selling this book.
Japan’s final defeat was forced by airpower once the necessary (and hard-fought) island airbases could be captured. And so this book starts with the firebombing of Japanese cities and the two A-bomb drops. But the majority of this book is about the Japanese leaders deciding upon the necessity to surrender while simultaneously trying to stave off the very real threat of revolt by members of their own military. That aspect of history is one I’d not read about before and so was informative – but also a bit difficult to read as most of the names were of Japanese people I’d not known about before. And, no, I did not feel it was “vividly told”.
A small part of the book was about the brave souls who parachuted into Japanese prisoner-of-war camps in China soon after Japan’s surrender was announced. In some cases, the Japanese camp guards had not yet gotten news of Japan’s surrender. A very interesting aspect, though only briefly covered. Still, the story of John Birch’s death was told (but only over a page or two).
Bottom line: Japan trained their soldiers, seamen and flyers into a fight-to-the-death mindset against a feared and hated enemy. This book is about the consequences of that training once Japan tried to then get those same people to stop fighting and accept surrender. Could have been “vividly” told, but was not.
Japan’s final defeat was forced by airpower once the necessary (and hard-fought) island airbases could be captured. And so this book starts with the firebombing of Japanese cities and the two A-bomb drops. But the majority of this book is about the Japanese leaders deciding upon the necessity to surrender while simultaneously trying to stave off the very real threat of revolt by members of their own military. That aspect of history is one I’d not read about before and so was informative – but also a bit difficult to read as most of the names were of Japanese people I’d not known about before. And, no, I did not feel it was “vividly told”.
A small part of the book was about the brave souls who parachuted into Japanese prisoner-of-war camps in China soon after Japan’s surrender was announced. In some cases, the Japanese camp guards had not yet gotten news of Japan’s surrender. A very interesting aspect, though only briefly covered. Still, the story of John Birch’s death was told (but only over a page or two).
Bottom line: Japan trained their soldiers, seamen and flyers into a fight-to-the-death mindset against a feared and hated enemy. This book is about the consequences of that training once Japan tried to then get those same people to stop fighting and accept surrender. Could have been “vividly” told, but was not.
September 6, 2017
Growing up in classrooms we are taught about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States in World War II, the D-Day invasion, the atrocities that occurred to the Jewish population, and dropping of the atomic bombs. But little is discussed about the war in the Pacific.
My father served under Halsey in the Pacific, and was aboard one of the many ships that the Japanese boarded when they surrendered. Because of this, there is much I would like to know about those final years in the Pacific, and this book does a good job of adding to my understanding.
William Craig does spend time on the development of the atomic bomb, and the process (which occurred in three different secret locations in the states), the intense secrecy around not only the building, but the transportation of the materials to the Pacific, and the training of the pilots and planes involved in dropping them.
But the majority of this book focused on the military officers of Japan and their decisions throughout the war. There were those who very early in the process who knew that Japan would lose and wanted to develop a plan that would keep Japan in the best light at the end of the war. However, there was another section of the leaders who insisted fighting to the end and tried a coup within the Imperial Army.
Great book to learn about these final days.
My father served under Halsey in the Pacific, and was aboard one of the many ships that the Japanese boarded when they surrendered. Because of this, there is much I would like to know about those final years in the Pacific, and this book does a good job of adding to my understanding.
William Craig does spend time on the development of the atomic bomb, and the process (which occurred in three different secret locations in the states), the intense secrecy around not only the building, but the transportation of the materials to the Pacific, and the training of the pilots and planes involved in dropping them.
But the majority of this book focused on the military officers of Japan and their decisions throughout the war. There were those who very early in the process who knew that Japan would lose and wanted to develop a plan that would keep Japan in the best light at the end of the war. However, there was another section of the leaders who insisted fighting to the end and tried a coup within the Imperial Army.
Great book to learn about these final days.
July 24, 2017
Given the fine-grained information present in this book, I would have never thought it was written in 1967. The level of detail that this book gets into is astounding. It's a long, ling read as a result.
I had to pick up and put this book down a couple times (hence the 2 month read time) because it's just so information dense. I needed time to digest sections before I could move on. It's an impressive read.
My one complaint (if one could call it as such) is that the book just kind of ends. I know that when it comes to recounting history it's hard to draw the line as to where to stop. The ending of this book feels like a weak place to finish, but maybe that was the point?
Regardless, if you are interested in history (specifically around Japan and WWII), you will be hard-pressed to find a better source.
I had to pick up and put this book down a couple times (hence the 2 month read time) because it's just so information dense. I needed time to digest sections before I could move on. It's an impressive read.
My one complaint (if one could call it as such) is that the book just kind of ends. I know that when it comes to recounting history it's hard to draw the line as to where to stop. The ending of this book feels like a weak place to finish, but maybe that was the point?
Regardless, if you are interested in history (specifically around Japan and WWII), you will be hard-pressed to find a better source.
September 16, 2014
After reading "Unbroken", I wanted to learn more about the Japanese theater of war. I found this dusty book on my shelf, one that I had inherited from my father (since inherited is a nicer word than 'stolen') and not touched in 20 years.
Since this book was written in the 60s, I was afraid it would be very dry and not too engaging. In truth, Craig's narrative is very compelling as he covers everything from the development and detonation of the bomb to the attempted coup and final surrender of Japan. Filled with many interesting facts and story lines, I truly enjoyed this book and the history lesson that it provided.
Since this book was written in the 60s, I was afraid it would be very dry and not too engaging. In truth, Craig's narrative is very compelling as he covers everything from the development and detonation of the bomb to the attempted coup and final surrender of Japan. Filled with many interesting facts and story lines, I truly enjoyed this book and the history lesson that it provided.
March 14, 2017
A fine light introduction to the latter part of the Pacific War. At times a little simplistic in its analysis and with some highly questionable imagined dramatic recreations of historical events. Good for younger students and interested readers new to the topic.
August 15, 2019
August 15, 2019
A Review of the book by Anthony T. Riggio The Fall of Japan by William Craig
I came across this book by accident while in a local used book store. I have never read anything by this author, William Craig and copy righted in 1967, and is also available on Kindle but was unaware of this fact. I have since learned Craig wrote a book entitled: Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad. It is currently available on Kindle too and I will purchase it soon.
This book I found was easily readable and frankly difficult to put down. As a lover of history and historical books, this book was right up my alley. If a reader has any interest in the war with Japan and World War II generally, this is the book to read.
The history of Japan based on a feudalistic Shogun culture and the rigid adherence to the concept of a living God, and at this period it was, Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese culture was, on the one hand feudalistic and yet heavily into modernity and certainly the most modern of war weapons. Successes were revered and failures required suicide. This book dealt with the ambitions of Japan as a new super power and its destruction by the United States and its allies.
It goes into the personalities of the military and civilian personalities and the struggles with the reality of the conditions set out in the Potsdam directives for both Germany and Japan, in effect total and unconditional surrender. A concept not easily digested by the Japanese culture. It was not until Emperor Hirohito mandated adherence to the Potsdam conditions that the military leaders had to come to grip with this alien concept of surrender. It required some manipulations by the leaders to convince the military that this was the only choice available. Even with the primary leaders acceptance, middle rank military officers agreed to a coup to convince the Emperor that there was a need to fight to the last man, and such was the thinking not only of the average soldier but of many of the civilians too. This thinking was viable even after two atomic bombs were dropped. Fortunately the coup was put down by some courageous senior military officers.
I learned so much about the Japanese culture and had to conclude they were going against so much in their culture that a rethinking seemed impossible to develop. When surrender was finally accepted there were enormous hurdles to be accepted by the military leaders through out the diminished empire that the United States had to send numerous OSS (Office of Strategic Services. a forerunner of the CIA) officers in parachute operations to the Philippines, Formosa, and China to rescue American and Allied POW's and convince Japanese military officers that the war was over and that their duty was to accept this even though many were not fully aware of the surrender.
I was not aware that General Johnathon Wainwright was held as a POW in China and was rescued by the OSS in time to take part of the formal surrender on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This was accomplished in spite of the aggressive Russians rapidly conquering Japanese military instillation's in China with the help of the Chinese Communist military.
The occupation issues were impossible to fathom but that all went well is a tribute to the Japanese people and their desire for some degree of normalcy. I unhesitatingly give this book Five Stars out of Five. It is superbly written and most capturing of the reader's attention/interest and a book worthy of recommendation to others.
A Review of the book by Anthony T. Riggio The Fall of Japan by William Craig
I came across this book by accident while in a local used book store. I have never read anything by this author, William Craig and copy righted in 1967, and is also available on Kindle but was unaware of this fact. I have since learned Craig wrote a book entitled: Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad. It is currently available on Kindle too and I will purchase it soon.
This book I found was easily readable and frankly difficult to put down. As a lover of history and historical books, this book was right up my alley. If a reader has any interest in the war with Japan and World War II generally, this is the book to read.
The history of Japan based on a feudalistic Shogun culture and the rigid adherence to the concept of a living God, and at this period it was, Emperor Hirohito. The Japanese culture was, on the one hand feudalistic and yet heavily into modernity and certainly the most modern of war weapons. Successes were revered and failures required suicide. This book dealt with the ambitions of Japan as a new super power and its destruction by the United States and its allies.
It goes into the personalities of the military and civilian personalities and the struggles with the reality of the conditions set out in the Potsdam directives for both Germany and Japan, in effect total and unconditional surrender. A concept not easily digested by the Japanese culture. It was not until Emperor Hirohito mandated adherence to the Potsdam conditions that the military leaders had to come to grip with this alien concept of surrender. It required some manipulations by the leaders to convince the military that this was the only choice available. Even with the primary leaders acceptance, middle rank military officers agreed to a coup to convince the Emperor that there was a need to fight to the last man, and such was the thinking not only of the average soldier but of many of the civilians too. This thinking was viable even after two atomic bombs were dropped. Fortunately the coup was put down by some courageous senior military officers.
I learned so much about the Japanese culture and had to conclude they were going against so much in their culture that a rethinking seemed impossible to develop. When surrender was finally accepted there were enormous hurdles to be accepted by the military leaders through out the diminished empire that the United States had to send numerous OSS (Office of Strategic Services. a forerunner of the CIA) officers in parachute operations to the Philippines, Formosa, and China to rescue American and Allied POW's and convince Japanese military officers that the war was over and that their duty was to accept this even though many were not fully aware of the surrender.
I was not aware that General Johnathon Wainwright was held as a POW in China and was rescued by the OSS in time to take part of the formal surrender on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This was accomplished in spite of the aggressive Russians rapidly conquering Japanese military instillation's in China with the help of the Chinese Communist military.
The occupation issues were impossible to fathom but that all went well is a tribute to the Japanese people and their desire for some degree of normalcy. I unhesitatingly give this book Five Stars out of Five. It is superbly written and most capturing of the reader's attention/interest and a book worthy of recommendation to others.
July 28, 2019
Θεωρείται από πολλούς πως η πιο ατρόμητη και επικίνδυνη πολεμική μηχανή που εμφανίστηκε ποτέ στον πλανήτη, δεν ήταν οι Γερμανοί Ναζί, αλλά ο Ιαπωνικός Αυτοκρατορικός Στρατός στο πρώτο μισό του 20ου αιώνα. Έχουν για πάντα χαραχθεί στην ιστορική μνήμη η θηριωδία στη Νανκίνγκ, ο βομβαρδισμός του Περλ Χάρμπορ, τα κατορθώματα των πιλότων καμικάζι.
Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο μας μεταφέρει στις τελευταίες εβδομάδες του δευτέρου παγκοσμίου πολέμου στον Ειρηνικό το καλοκαίρι του 1945. Ένα καλογραμμένο βιβλίο που διατηρεί αναλλοίωτο το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνώστη και που περιγράφει με αξιοσημείωτη λεπτομέρεια το χρονικό των εβδομάδων που οδήγησαν στη ρίψη των ατομικών βομβών σε Χιροσίμα και Ναγκασάκι, αλλά και αυτών που ακολούθησαν τη συνεπακόλουθη συνθηκολόγηση άνευ όρων από πλευράς της Ιαπωνίας.
Ιδιαίτερος λαός οι Γιαπωνέζοι, με χιλιάδες χρόνια ιστορίας και πολιτισμού που διαμόρφωσαν τη συλλογική τους παράδοση σε συνθήκες εκούσιου απομονωτισμού μέχρι τα τέλη του 19ου αιώνα.
Θεωρείται αδιανόητο αλλά είναι αδιαμφισβήτητο γεγονός πως ακόμα και μετά τη ρίψη της 2ης ατομικής βόμβας στο Ναγκασάκι μεγάλο τμήμα του Ιαπωνικού Αυτοκρατορικού Στρατού ήθελε να συνεχίσει τον πόλεμο μέχρις εσχάτων και προκάλεσε ολιγοώρο πραξικόπημα τη νύχτα της 14ης προς 15η Αυγούστου του 1945. Μονάχα η παρέμβαση του Αυτοκράτορα Χιροχίτο που λατρευόταν σαν Θεός και η ομιλία του στις 15 Αυγούστου μεταδόθηκε ραδιοφωνικά σε όλο το έθνος, μπόρεσε τελικά να αποτρέψει το πραξικόπημα και να βάλει μια για πάντα ταφόπλακα στα σχέδια των Γιαπωνέζων μιλιταριστών για τη μαζική αυτοκτονία ενός ολόκληρου έθνους.
Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο μας μεταφέρει στις τελευταίες εβδομάδες του δευτέρου παγκοσμίου πολέμου στον Ειρηνικό το καλοκαίρι του 1945. Ένα καλογραμμένο βιβλίο που διατηρεί αναλλοίωτο το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνώστη και που περιγράφει με αξιοσημείωτη λεπτομέρεια το χρονικό των εβδομάδων που οδήγησαν στη ρίψη των ατομικών βομβών σε Χιροσίμα και Ναγκασάκι, αλλά και αυτών που ακολούθησαν τη συνεπακόλουθη συνθηκολόγηση άνευ όρων από πλευράς της Ιαπωνίας.
Ιδιαίτερος λαός οι Γιαπωνέζοι, με χιλιάδες χρόνια ιστορίας και πολιτισμού που διαμόρφωσαν τη συλλογική τους παράδοση σε συνθήκες εκούσιου απομονωτισμού μέχρι τα τέλη του 19ου αιώνα.
Θεωρείται αδιανόητο αλλά είναι αδιαμφισβήτητο γεγονός πως ακόμα και μετά τη ρίψη της 2ης ατομικής βόμβας στο Ναγκασάκι μεγάλο τμήμα του Ιαπωνικού Αυτοκρατορικού Στρατού ήθελε να συνεχίσει τον πόλεμο μέχρις εσχάτων και προκάλεσε ολιγοώρο πραξικόπημα τη νύχτα της 14ης προς 15η Αυγούστου του 1945. Μονάχα η παρέμβαση του Αυτοκράτορα Χιροχίτο που λατρευόταν σαν Θεός και η ομιλία του στις 15 Αυγούστου μεταδόθηκε ραδιοφωνικά σε όλο το έθνος, μπόρεσε τελικά να αποτρέψει το πραξικόπημα και να βάλει μια για πάντα ταφόπλακα στα σχέδια των Γιαπωνέζων μιλιταριστών για τη μαζική αυτοκτονία ενός ολόκληρου έθνους.
October 23, 2024
A highly readable account of the 30 or so days around the surrender of Japan. It details many stories from the time that are necessarily glossed over in larger scale histories, including the bombing of Nagasaki, the attempted coup by a group of junior officers after the Japanese leadership had decided to surrender, and various missions to try to secure and aid allied prisoners of war.
I want to give it 5 stars because whenever I think of a reason to downgrade it, I realize the criticism is unfair. Providing more context on what happened before and after would weaken the book’s focus and make it longer. Yes, it has a bit of American slant, but also represents the Japanese figures objectively and even sympathetically. Ultimately, I can only say it left me wanting more information…you could even argue that is a reflection of how compelling the writing is.
I want to give it 5 stars because whenever I think of a reason to downgrade it, I realize the criticism is unfair. Providing more context on what happened before and after would weaken the book’s focus and make it longer. Yes, it has a bit of American slant, but also represents the Japanese figures objectively and even sympathetically. Ultimately, I can only say it left me wanting more information…you could even argue that is a reflection of how compelling the writing is.
October 22, 2024
I thought this was a fantastic read of the last weeks of Japan during World War II. No spoilers, we know how the war ended! The juxtaposition of many soldiers and sailors taking their own lives out of Japanese honor versus how smoothly the Japanese handed over power to the United States was very fascinating for me. Great book, really enlightening and informative.
January 20, 2019
Really good recounting of a relatively limited window of time in WW2. The author finds a good balance of compassion and impartial recounting of facts, adding a lot of context and depth to what was going on in/among Japan's leadership at the end of the war.
March 1, 2022
I have mixed feelings about this book. It is a pacey and engaging narrative of the last few days of WWII in Japan, and to some extent the Pacific theatre as a whole. We get the development, build-up to and delivery of the A bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the Americans. We also are given a good view of plotting within the Japanese military and the difficulties of the task facing the politicians who wished to surrender following the delivery of the bomb. It makes for an interesting story. But, I think it falls short as a history of those last days.
The problem is that it looks like William Craig may be letting the narrative run ahead of the sources used. Sources are very vaguely noted making it difficult to tell what he tells us might come from. And there are things that are unlikely to have been backed up by any of the sources mentioned for example (p207) Major Hidemasa Koga commits suicide. We are told about his feelings and concern at the wrong committed by the attempted coup he took part in. This may be correct, but it is difficult to see that any of the sources referenced for the chapter relate to this. Indeed, since there is no mention of a suicide note and he is alone it is also difficult to see how anyone can know this.
Considering that in large part this is a book that covers the first usage of the atomic bomb it is hard to imagine that if it were written today there would be so little on its effects. There are only a few pages on its horrific effect, and aftereffects on people. I am not sure I would be comfortable reading more about this but having so little feels like downplaying what can easily be seen as a US war crime. I don’t think I am exaggerating much if I say that there is as much written here about the concern on the bomber about whether it will have enough fuel to carry out the mission as a result of a fuel pump not working as the effects of the bomb on the Japanese people below.
It also does not cover the impact of the Russian declaration of war and invasion of Manchuria. Today there is considerable debate as to which had more of an effect on Japan’s surrender. Here the Russian moves are so minimised it is just assumed that it was the bomb. I presume that this book was published before this debate really got started.
This is very much a story of American and Japanese. The American are the knights in shining armour. The Japanese are very much a mixed bag of the good, the bad and the ugly. Everyone else is one dimensional: the only Chinese mentioned either shoot Americans or run away. The Russians are “plundering like the Mongol hordes of the twelfth century” (p265) and a brief mention at the surrender itself. Sure, we are in the middle of the Cold war at this time when the Chinese and the Russians are the enemy, but they could have been treated a bit more fairly.
So as a result, I can’t really recommend this book. But if you are happy to ignore such qualms and going to read it then it is a nice and easily readable narrative.
The problem is that it looks like William Craig may be letting the narrative run ahead of the sources used. Sources are very vaguely noted making it difficult to tell what he tells us might come from. And there are things that are unlikely to have been backed up by any of the sources mentioned for example (p207) Major Hidemasa Koga commits suicide. We are told about his feelings and concern at the wrong committed by the attempted coup he took part in. This may be correct, but it is difficult to see that any of the sources referenced for the chapter relate to this. Indeed, since there is no mention of a suicide note and he is alone it is also difficult to see how anyone can know this.
Considering that in large part this is a book that covers the first usage of the atomic bomb it is hard to imagine that if it were written today there would be so little on its effects. There are only a few pages on its horrific effect, and aftereffects on people. I am not sure I would be comfortable reading more about this but having so little feels like downplaying what can easily be seen as a US war crime. I don’t think I am exaggerating much if I say that there is as much written here about the concern on the bomber about whether it will have enough fuel to carry out the mission as a result of a fuel pump not working as the effects of the bomb on the Japanese people below.
It also does not cover the impact of the Russian declaration of war and invasion of Manchuria. Today there is considerable debate as to which had more of an effect on Japan’s surrender. Here the Russian moves are so minimised it is just assumed that it was the bomb. I presume that this book was published before this debate really got started.
This is very much a story of American and Japanese. The American are the knights in shining armour. The Japanese are very much a mixed bag of the good, the bad and the ugly. Everyone else is one dimensional: the only Chinese mentioned either shoot Americans or run away. The Russians are “plundering like the Mongol hordes of the twelfth century” (p265) and a brief mention at the surrender itself. Sure, we are in the middle of the Cold war at this time when the Chinese and the Russians are the enemy, but they could have been treated a bit more fairly.
So as a result, I can’t really recommend this book. But if you are happy to ignore such qualms and going to read it then it is a nice and easily readable narrative.
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