1945: Japan

Archives consist of articles that originally appeared in Collier's Year Book (for events of 1997 and earlier) or as monthly updates in Encarta Yearbook (for events of 1998 and later). Because they were published shortly after events occurred, they reflect the information available at that time. Cross references refer to Archive articles of the same year.

The year 1945 brought final disaster to the Japanese Empire. The surrender of Japan put an abrupt end to a centuries-old program of imperial expansion which had been most actively fostered in the last three-quarters of a century. Nevertheless, the events of the months after the surrender revealed,... ...