Quiz of the Day
V-J Day
Friday, 14 August 2026
On August 14, 1945, Japan announced its surrender, ending World War II — explore the Pacific War, its key moments, and the peace that followed
1. What does V-J Day stand for?
- Victory June Day
- Victory in Japan Day
- Victory over Japan Day
- Victorious Japan Day
V-J Day stands for 'Victory over Japan Day.' August 14 marks Japan's announcement of surrender, while September 2, 1945 — when Japan formally signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay — is sometimes also called V-J Day or 'VJ Day (formal).' The two dates created confusion that persists to this day in different countries.
2. The famous photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square was taken on V-J Day by which photographer?
- Robert Capa
- Margaret Bourke-White
- Alfred Eisenstaedt
- Dorothea Lange
Alfred Eisenstaedt's 'V-J Day in Times Square' — showing a sailor kissing a nurse in a white dress amid celebrating crowds — became one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century. However, the identities of the kissers were disputed for decades, with multiple people claiming to be the subjects. The woman identified as nurse Greta Friedman said it wasn't romantic — she was kissed by a stranger she'd never met.
3. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 targeted what US naval base in Hawaii?
- Hickam Field
- Pearl Harbor Naval Base
- Kaneohe Bay
- Ford Island
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 ('a date which will live in infamy,' per FDR) killed 2,403 Americans and wounded 1,178 more. Crucially, the US aircraft carriers were away from port that day. Japan sank 8 battleships but all except the Arizona and Oklahoma were eventually repaired and returned to service — the damage, while devastating, didn't cripple the US Pacific fleet as Japan intended.
4. What was 'island hopping' in the Pacific War?
- A Navy technique for evading enemy ships
- Japanese strategy of reinforcing multiple island chains simultaneously
- The Allied strategy of bypassing heavily fortified Japanese islands while capturing others
- A propaganda campaign targeting Pacific civilian populations
Island hopping — or 'leapfrogging' — was developed by Admiral Chester Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur. Instead of attacking every Japanese-held island in sequence, Allied forces bypassed and isolated heavily fortified positions (cutting off their supply lines to starve them out) while capturing strategically important ones as stepping stones to Japan. It saved enormous casualties while accelerating the Pacific campaign.
5. The Battle of Midway in June 1942 was a turning point in the Pacific War because it resulted in what?
- Japan's surrender negotiations beginning
- US forces retaking the Philippines
- Japan losing four aircraft carriers and most of its experienced naval pilots
- The liberation of Guam and Saipan
At Midway, US code-breakers had deciphered Japan's plans, allowing the ambush of the Japanese fleet. Japan lost four of its six fleet carriers — the same carriers used in the Pearl Harbor attack — along with hundreds of its most skilled and experienced naval aviators. Japan could rebuild ships but couldn't quickly replace the trained pilots, permanently shifting Pacific naval dominance to the United States.
6. Who commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific and famously promised 'I shall return' to the Philippines?
- Chester Nimitz
- Dwight Eisenhower
- Douglas MacArthur
- William Halsey
Douglas MacArthur was ordered to leave the Philippines as Japanese forces overran the islands in 1942. His famous 'I shall return' promise was made upon his arrival in Australia. He kept his word — MacArthur waded ashore at Leyte Gulf in October 1944 in a carefully staged landing with photographers present. He later presided over Japan's formal surrender ceremony on the USS Missouri.
7. What Japanese military strategy involved pilots deliberately crashing explosive-laden planes into Allied ships?
- Banzai charge
- Tokkotai
- Gyokusai
- Kamikaze
Kamikaze (神風, 'divine wind') pilots were named after the typhoons that destroyed Mongol invasion fleets in the 13th century. From late 1944 to August 1945, approximately 3,800 kamikaze pilots died in attacks that sank 34 Allied ships and damaged hundreds more. Despite the enormous sacrifice, kamikaze attacks never succeeded in sinking any of the major capital ships they targeted.
8. The formal Japanese surrender was signed aboard which US Navy vessel on September 2, 1945?
- USS Arizona
- USS Enterprise
- USS Missouri
- USS Iowa
The USS Missouri (BB-63) — nicknamed 'Mighty Mo' — hosted the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. MacArthur presided over the ceremony. On its deck, the Japanese delegates signed the Instrument of Surrender near the spot where a flag that flew over the US Capitol on December 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor Day) was also displayed. The Missouri is now a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.
9. Which Japanese city was the target of the first atomic bomb dropped on August 6, 1945?
- Tokyo
- Osaka
- Hiroshima
- Nagasaki
Hiroshima was selected as the primary target in part because it had not been significantly bombed yet, allowing a clearer assessment of the atomic bomb's effects. Military installations and factories surrounded the city center. The bomb instantly killed an estimated 70,000–80,000 people, with total deaths reaching 90,000–166,000 by the end of 1945 from injuries and radiation sickness.
10. The Bataan Death March occurred after the fall of which US-controlled territory to Japan?
- Midway Atoll
- Guam
- Wake Island
- The Philippines
After the fall of the Philippines in April 1942, approximately 76,000 Allied prisoners (Filipino and American) were forced to march 65 miles (105 km) under brutal conditions to a prison camp. Between 5,000 and 18,000 Filipinos and 500–650 Americans died during the march from violence, disease, starvation, and heat. It was subsequently prosecuted as a war crime.
11. Who was the Japanese Emperor who announced Japan's surrender via radio broadcast on August 15, 1945?
- Emperor Meiji
- Emperor Taisho
- Emperor Akihito
- Emperor Hirohito
Emperor Hirohito's radio broadcast on August 15, 1945 — called the 'Jewel Voice Broadcast' — was the first time most Japanese citizens had ever heard their emperor's voice. The message, in formal classical Japanese, never used the word 'surrender' but referred to 'enduring the unendurable.' Army extremists attempted a coup the night before to prevent the broadcast from happening.
12. What was the 'Manhattan Project' that developed the bombs used against Japan?
- A New York-based military planning operation
- The code name for the Normandy invasion planning
- The US secret weapons program that developed nuclear bombs
- An Allied intelligence network in the Pacific
The Manhattan Project was so secret that Vice President Harry Truman didn't learn about it until he became president after FDR's death in April 1945. Scientists who worked at the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico could not tell their families what they were working on. The project involved over 130,000 workers at multiple sites and cost $2 billion — approximately $30 billion in today's dollars.
13. What occupation policy followed Japan's surrender?
- Division into Allied occupation zones like Germany
- Joint UN administration
- American military occupation and democratic reformation under MacArthur
- Return to pre-war Japanese government control
MacArthur oversaw Japan's occupation from 1945 to 1952, implementing sweeping democratic reforms: a new constitution (drafted largely by American officials), land reform, women's suffrage, dissolution of the zaibatsu (industrial monopolies), and the renunciation of war in Article 9. The 'economic miracle' that followed transformed Japan into the world's second-largest economy by 1968.
14. The Nuremberg Trials prosecuted Nazi war criminals — what was the equivalent tribunal for Japanese war criminals called?
- Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal
- Allied Pacific Military Court
- Pacific War Crimes Commission
- International Military Tribunal for the Far East
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), often called the 'Tokyo Trials,' ran from 1946 to 1948. Seven Japanese leaders were sentenced to death and 16 received life sentences. Controversially, Emperor Hirohito was granted immunity from prosecution — a decision made by MacArthur to preserve stability during occupation. Some historians argue this undermined justice for victims.
15. What did the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco accomplish?
- Created the modern Japan-US security alliance
- Officially ended the state of war between the Allied powers and Japan
- Established the United Nations Pacific Charter
- Both B and C
The 1951 Treaty of San Francisco simultaneously ended the Allied occupation of Japan and established the US-Japan Security Treaty, which allows US military bases in Japan and commits the US to Japan's defense. Japan's constitution (Article 9) renounces war and maintains only a 'Self-Defense Force' rather than an army. These arrangements remain foundational to East Asian geopolitics today.