The Real Reason Japan Surrendered (Documentary) - World War 2, USSR, Stalin, State Shinto

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains to this day, the only time in history in which nuclear weapons have been used against civilian targets, with over 200,000 people dying as a direct result of the attacks. Five days later, Japan, a nation that hadn't been defeated in over 2,000 years, issued their surrender, and for the first time was occupied by a foreign power. But is this the real reason they surrendered or are there other factors that have been overlooked?

Why did President Harry Truman believe the use of such a devastating weapon was the only thing capable of forcing them to surrender and what effect did the Soviet Union's entry into the war have on Japan's key decision makers?

What were the American invasion plans for the Japanese home islands had the atomic bombs not worked and how many millions of Japanese civilians were prepared to sacrifice their lives in the defense of the homeland?

Why did it take Japan so long to surrender and how did a military coup manage to take control of the entire imperial palace and come close to destroying the Emperor’s peace plans on the very day that surrender was announced?

From Pearl Harbour to the Manhattan Project, from the Bushido Code to Operation Downfall, join us as we take you step by step and chapter by chapter, through the real reasons Japan surrendered and how the most deadly conflict in human history came to an end.