Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 175 VJ Day and the end of the Second World War continued ... Japan: In Japan, the population was still experiencing the emotional shock, and physical destruction, caused by the dropping of the atomic bombs. The numbers killed by the immediate effect of the bombs have been estimated at 90,000 to 166,000 in Hiroshima and 60,000 to 80,000 in Nagasaki. In the subsequent months and years thousands of people suffered cancer and leukemia due to radiation poisoning. Other civilians endured horrific burns, from the firestorms which swept through the cities – caused by the intense heat and propelled by h u r r i c a n e - s t r e n g t h winds. On 15 August 1945, Emperor Hirohito took the unprecedented step of personally broadcasting to the Japanese people. The Emperor’s voice had not previously been heard by his subjects – who regarded him as an incarnate divinity. The situation faced by Japan was stated as follows, ‘Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage, is indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should we continue to fight, it would not only result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization.’ Michiko Nakamoto, who had suffered severe burns, as a consequence of the atomic bomb blast at Hiroshima, recalled her feelings, upon hearing that the war had ended, ‘I didn’t like the thought of losing the war and I couldn’t bear it, but then no more air raids and we could sleep at night without going to the underground shelter, so that was some relief. So, it’s a mixed feeling.’ The Japanese population had experienced extreme food shortages during the latter part of the war, due to the sinking of merchant ships by the United States Navy. The government in Japan had been advising people how to prepare meals from acorns, grain husks, sawdust, snails, grasshoppers and rats! A view of the devastation caused by the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan on 6 August 1945. continued ...
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