海参崴新闻

The war between USSR and Japan starts on August 8th. This declaration of war was a part of agreements that were made during Yalta and Potsdam conferences. Moreover, unlike the USA and Great Britain, countries that postponed the opening of the second front until 1944, the Soviet Union fulfilled all of its obligations. According to Americans, if the USSR acted like the USA and Great Britain and avoided the war with Japan, the American-Japanese confrontation could last until 1947 or even longer! The participation of the USSR in the war played a huge role in saving millions of lives. While working on the invasion plans, the Command of the western allies estimated its loss in 1,5 million people and the loss of Japanese people in 10 million. 

Ruslan Kulepanov, the member of the Institute of history, archeology and ethnography of the Far East: « Our allies have been at war with Japan since 1941, when the Japanese army attacked the United States, Pearl Harbor. It became clear that the war was getting too long. The long-awaited victory seemed not even close by the summer of 1945. Japan was still not defeated. Starting from 1944, during Yalta and Potsdam conferences, the allies agreed that help from the USSR was necessary. The United States played an important role in defeating Japan in the sea, but they did not have enough power to defeat the opponent on land. Another interesting detail of the conflit was the Japanese temper and the powerful military propaganda. Japanese people, despite the possible defeat, refused to give up. Starting from the 19th century, the Kokutai ideology became more and more popular in Japan. The main points of this ideology are total loyalty to the Emperor and readiness to die for him and for the State. Thanks to these ideas, the Japanese were ready to give their lives for their country and to fight until the end». 

News source: www.vestiprim.ru