24 Hours That Changed The World: Ww224 Hours That Changed The World: WW2 - 24 Hours That Changed The World: Japan's Surrender

With the war in Europe over, the second episode delves into the war in the Pacific, which raged on. The reluctance of Japan to surrender even after suffering the horrors of two atomic bombs was not a matter of bravery and conviction; it was of honour. As a concept, surrender did not sit well with the military or civilian population. It would take their monarch, Emperor Hirohito, a living god in Japan, to deliver a surrender speech to his people for the war to finally end.

24 Hours That Changed The World: Ww2 was broadcast on SBS ONE at Friday 29 August 2025, 10:24.