Search results

An overview of global warming discusses its causes; consequences for habitats, flora, fauna, and people around the globe; and potential solutions, and presents twenty things that ordinary people can do to help--

Over the years, there has been a great deal of debate about whether the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the Soviet Union's entrance into World War ii against Japan was a more decisive factor in bringing about a Japanese surrender. This debate often has focused on the days between the bombing of Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and the Soviet declaration of war (first learned in Japan on 9 August 1945) and whether there is convincing evidence of Tokyo moving toward surrender during this time period. To date, this debate in general has not touched on the Japanese Foreign Ministry's order to destroy its documents, though it issued the directive on 7 August 1945. This research note assesses the importance of this document, concluding that its contents suggest that the atomic bombing prompted Japan's Foreign Ministry to take concrete actions anticipating an end to Japanese belligerence.

Abstract
Japan's decision to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration was one of the most pivotal events in the country's modern history. Most students of the decision-making process agree that Foreign Minister Tōgō Shigenori was the principal motive force supporting acceptance of the Allies' demands throughout the debate over the action. Some recent historiography in Japan has questioned Tōgō's approach, focusing particularly on his decision to seek the mediation of the Soviet Union and on the question of why he did not bring hostilities to an end sooner. Historical materials that were previously unavailable to scholars shed some light on these questions. In combination with Tōgō's daily planner (in the author's possession), his memoirs, and the author's own recollection of anecdotes his parents told to him, these materials make possible a detailed examination of Tōgō's thoughts and actions in the days leading to the acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. This shows that Tōgō, facing stubborn resistance from the military and from public opinion, nevertheless persevered in his quest to bring the war to an end. He also maintained the trust and respect of not only Emperor Hirohito, but also of Army Minister Anami Korechika, his principal antagonist in the debate.