ABSTRACT
On 14 August 1945, at a meeting in the Emperor’s presence, the Supreme Council decided upon surrender. The Chiefs of Staff of both Army and Navy argued in favour of continuing the war. The final decision, however, was entrusted to the Emperor, and he accepted the Potsdam Declaration of 26 July. The war which had claimed the lives of so many people of so many countries, including more than three million Japanese and more than ten million Chinese, was over.
