Why Did Japan Delay Surrender to the Allies?
Japan’s leaders delayed surrender in 1945 for a variety of reasons. With the exception of Prince Konoe, the rest of the Japanese decision makers believed in the power of the Japanese fighting spirit, overlooking the dire situation facing the war-damaged nation. To Emperor Hirohito, his people were capable of “superhuman efforts and sacrifice”.1 The final war aim of the Japanese, if all hope was lost for victory, was to negotiate a conditional surrender where the emperor retained his throne and the kokutai remained intact. This would be remotely possible if the surrender was discussed with the United States, despite American proclamations of unconditional surrender, and next to impossible if the Soviet Union was the primary power involved in surrender talks. The more militant voices urging Hirohito to continue the war initially won out over Konoe, and with the emperor’s blessing, Japan continued the war. They increased their resistance with heightened kamikaze attacks against American t
