Main content

The Second World War in Japan

It鈥檚 75 years since the US dropped atomic bombs on Japan, leading to Japan鈥檚 surrender and the end of WW2. We look back at some key moments in the conflict in the Pacific.

It鈥檚 75 years this week since the dropping of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which led to Japan鈥檚 surrender to Allied forces and the end of the Second World War. We hear first-hand accounts of military turning points in the Pacific including the attack on Pearl Harbour and the Battle of Midway, and historian Ian Buruma explains the context for Japan鈥檚 attack on the US. We also hear about the impact of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki on civilians, about Japanese-American citizens imprisoned in internment camps in the US, and about the writing of Japan鈥檚 post-war constitution.

Picture: Mushroom cloud over Nagasaki after bombing by atomic bomb on 9th August 1945 ( US Air Force photo/PA)

Available now

53 minutes

Last on

Mon 10 Aug 2020 23:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 8 Aug 2020 14:06GMT
  • Mon 10 Aug 2020 23:06GMT

Podcast