Asia Pacific 1945: Surrender of Japan's Overseas Forces

At the time of the Japanese surrender, Japan still had some 4 million troops stationed abroad. Over the following months, the Allies accepted the surrender of these forces, although they were dependent on them to maintain order for many months more. Some Japanese refused to surrender, instead joining the independence movements sprouting up across their former empire, most notably in French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies.

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Notes

Yangtze River

Following the end of World War II, the Yangtze River was again opened to international trade and patrolled by foreign - in particular US and British - warships. This state of affairs ended in 1949 with the Communist takeover.

Main Events

4–12 Sep 1945 Operation Tiderace ▲

In Operation Tiderace, British seaborne liberation forces led by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Command, arrive in Japanese-occupied Singapore on 4 September 1945 without encountering any opposition. The Japanese commander, General Itagaki, meets the Allies aboard the HMS Sussex in Keppel Harbour and agrees to surrender his forces—some 77,000 Japanese troops plus another 26,000 in Malaya. The formal surrender takes place in Singapore City Hall on 12 September. in wikipedia

6 Sep 1945 People’s Republic of Korea declared ▲

Korea declares independence as People’s Republic in wikipedia

8 Sep 1945 US forces land at Incheon ▲

US begins occupation of southern Korea in wikipedia

9 Sep 1945 Japanese surrender in China ▲

Remaining Japanese forces in China begin surrendering to Kuomintang in wikipedia

12–13 Sep 1945 Operation Masterdom ▲

On 12 September 1945, British and French troops land in Saigon, Japanese-occupied French Indochina, with their commander Major-General Douglas Gracey arriving the following day. On French request, Gracey’s headquarters instruct him to exercise control only in limited areas to receive the Japanese surrender and exercise temporary command of both British and French troops. in wikipedia

15 Sep 1945 Chinese occupation of northern Indochina ▲

Nationalist Chinese forces under Lieutenant General Lu Han occupy French Indochina north of 16th parallel north, formally accepting the Japanese surrender in Hanoi on 28 September. The Chinese remain in occupation for six months, withdrawing only after the French agree to relinquish their lease in Kwangchowan to China. in wikipedia

29 Sep 1945–29 Nov 1946 Allied occupation of Indonesia ▲

About a month after the formal surrender of the Japanese Empire, British and Australian forces begin the process of accepting the surrender of the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies, providing an occupation force to secure the region as they await the arrival of troops from the Netherlands. While the Australian occupation of eastern Indonesia is largely uneventful, the British forces in the west soon come into conflict with the Indonesian nationalists. in wikipedia

30 Sep 1945 Operation Beleaguer ▲

US Marines arrive in Tianjin to accept Japanese surrender and hold region for Chinese Nationalists in wikipedia

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Asia Pacific 1945: Surrender of Japan's Overseas Forces

11 October 1945

End of the Old Order

Asia Pacific

Surrender of Japan's Overseas Forces