VJ Day: Sacrifice that shaped a generation

VJ Day: Sacrifice that shaped a generation

EIGHTY years ago to the day, an unfamiliar voice drifted over Japanese airwaves. Emperor Hirohito, speaking in formal, archaic Japanese, addressed his people for the first time in history. His words were careful, almost poetic: the war had “developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage,” and the nation must “endure the unendurable.” Behind the courtly phrasing lay a simple truth… Source