UCLA Asia Institute
Today in Asian History
July 26
1941 The U.S. government froze Japanese assets in the United States and suspended diplomatic relations. Three days before, the Japanese accepted the surrender of the Vichy French government of France's Indochina colonies.
The University of San Diego has an extensive collection of World War II-era maps. This March 1941 map showed "strategic sites" in Southeast Asia. Click here to see a July 23, 1941 map (belonging to the University of San Diego) of Japanese-controlled Indochina. Click here to see a July 26, 1941 map of Japanese bases in Southeast Asia and the threat posed to sea lanes.
1941 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt made Douglas MacArthur Commander of U.S. Forces in Asia. The Japanese would later drive MacArthur from his headquarters in the Philippines. In 1945, however, he received the surrender of the Japanese and led the U.S. occupation of Japan.
PBS broadcast a documentary on MacArthur as part of its American Experience series. The program has an extensive website including program notes, a timeline, photographs, maps, and more.
1945 At Potsdam, New York, U.S., British, and Chinese leaders declared that Japan must surrender unconditionally and accept Allied military occupation. Click here to read the declaration. The declaration ends:
"We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction."
The Japanese government responded that the Potsdam demands were "unworthy of consideration, absurd, and presumptuous." Japan did not surrender and in the first week of August two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, devastating those two cities and leading the emperor of Japan to order his armed forces to surrender. Click here to see the exchange of letters that ultimately led to Japan's surrender.
The U.S. Navy website offers photos from the Potsdam Conference. These photos feature Clement Atlee representing Britain. Atlee replaced Winston Churchill at the conference on July 28 following the Labor Party's electoral victory over Churchill's Tories.
1982 The Chinese government protested the wording of Japanese Ministry of Education approved high school history textbooks. Specifically, the Chinese decried the decision to descripe Japan's invasion of China in 1937 as an incursion.
Jon Brokering, teaching English in Japan, initiated a World War II history textbook project which includes student writing on Chinese, Japanese, and Korean textbook discussions of the war and occupation.
The AI "Today in Asian History" page was compiled by Clayton Dube. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send them to <cdube@isop.ucla.edu>.
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