The Sun Will Rise Again

The Journey from Vanquished to Victorious

INTRODUCTION

Although President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Neutrality Act on August 31, 1935, further cementing the United States’ intention to stay out of foreign wars, he did explicitly state, “history is filled with unforeseeable situations that call for some flexibility of action.” In other words, if the United States wished to join any given conflict, it could do so under the pretense of exercising the right to protect its citizens.

While the rest of the world had been embroiled in some type of battle since 1939, the United States continued to maintain its neutrality while indirectly contributing to the Allies’ war effort. “Indirect contribution” meant freely selling arms to countries which the United States deemed as friendly. When the Lend-Lease Act was signed into law on March 11, 1941, it enabled the U.S. to step up its military exports to the British in an effort to aid them in repelling Hitler’s advancement toward England.

However, six years after the signing of the Neutrality Act, the unforeseeable situation which Roosevelt had eluded to came to pass, thus altering the United States’ stance on the war. Instigated by the Empire of Japan, the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, came to be known as “a date which will live in infamy.”

On December 8, President Roosevelt delivered a 10-minute speech in which he proclaimed, “The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their

righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” The declaration of war on Japan was signed at 4:10 p.m. and the United States officially entered the war, which it had to fight on two fronts: in Europe and the Pacific.

What prompted the Empire of Japan to attack the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor? Was the attack really a surprise, or was it a carefully orchestrated event by Washington to anger the American public enough to want to go to war? What events unfolded leading up to Emperor Hirohito’s radio address on August 15, 1945, during which he announced the surrender of Japan to the Allies?

This book focuses on the Pacific War. It will lead you through the Empire of Japan’s provocation of the United States which led the United States to enter World War II, describe the gruesome events which unfolded on Japanese soil, provide you with comprehensive details of the hardships faced by Japanese Americans on American soil, and take you through the last stages of the war, which ultimately ended with the surrender of Japan.

You will learn about the Japanese mindset during and after the war, what life was like during the seven-year American military occupation of Japan, and what Japan and her people had to face as they struggled to rebuild.

When World War II concluded, Japan was battered and the morale of its people was at an all-time low. However, in the land of the rising sun, the sun will rise again.