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Tokyo after Firebombing

WWII Hub

bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Japan > Victory  > Japan Under Attack, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen​, updated by RAC 6 Jun 2025

This webpage covers US military action over or near Japanese home islands and the Soviet intervention in the War with Japan.​

The four major home islands, from south to north, are Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and Hokkaido.

The seven largest cities, in order of size, are Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe. Hiroshima is the 11th largest city.

Not shown on the map is Nagasaki, a city whose name is known to many, on the west coast of Kyushu.

The Japanese Home Islands

The early attacks on the Japanese home islands inflicted little damage:

• April 1942: The Doolittle Raid by medium bombers from the USS Hornet. 
• June 1944 –January 1945: B-29 Raids from the China-Burma-India Theater known as Operation Matterhorn. 

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​However, the home islands were subject to brutal attack from both sky and sea during the final nine months of the War with Japan:

• 24 or 29 November 1944: First B-29 raid from Mariana Islands bases on home islands.
• 19 February 1945k: First US carrier aircraft raid on home islands.
• 9 March 1945: B-29 fire bombing raids of home island cities began with fire bombing of Tokyo.
• 14 July 1945: Naval bombardment of home islands began.

Airfields on Iwo Jima and Okinawa were also used for air assault on the home islands during the final few months of the war.

The Atomic Bombs

First Bomb - Hiroshima - 6 August 1945

Second Bomb - Nagasaki - 9 August 1945

The Soviet Union Enters the War with Japan

In 1931, Japan had occupied the Manchurian area of China.  Japan installed a puppet government and referred to this area as Manchukuo.

Subsequently Japan also installed a puppet government referred to as Mengjiang in the Inner Mongolia area of northern China.

Adhering to a secret agreement with the United States and Great Britain, on 9 August 1945, Soviet Union forces invaded Manchukuo and Mengjiang on 9 August 1945.

Soviet forces quickly gained ground, even advancing into the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.

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The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria

The Emperor Speaks

We in the United States generally believe that the use of atomic weapons caused the Japanese Empire's surrender.  However, contemporary historians tend to view the Soviet Union's entry into World War II as the primary factor.

In mid August, the Japanese Imperial Council was deadlocked over what course to take. Empire Hirohito wisely broke the tie, announcing Japan's submission via a radio broadcast at noon, 15 August (14 August 14 in the United States). With few exceptions, hostile action between The Japanese Empire and the United States quickly ended.

The Japanese Surrender

The Planned Invasion of the Japanese Home Islands

By the summer of 1945, the Japanese island empire had crumbled and the once-powerful Imperial Japanese Navy barely existed. The Japanese merchant fleet was largely destroyed and waters off Japan were mined. Large portions of major Japanese cities already lay in ruins. 

The large island of Okinawa 400 miles south of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu was now available for use in Operation Downfall, the final Allied campaign of the war with Japan. The first invasion, Operation Olympic, was planned for November 1.

Japan still had a large army in China and thousands of planes in the home islands suitable for use as kamikazes. The increasing casualty count among Americans as the war approached Japan led many to predict the pending invasions would produce a blood bath among bogh Americans and Japanese. A million young American men born around 1927 viewed their future with apprehension as they, rather than existing veterans, would provide most of the cannon fodder. 

Fortunately for all parties , the use of nuclear weapons, the Russian entry into the war, and the flexible position of Emperor Hirohito brought an end to the war without an invasion of the Home Islands.

The Planned Invasion of Japan

Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII Japan > Victory > Japan Under Attack webpage:

• The webpage header image Tokyo after Firebombing shows the aftermath of the March 1945 B-29 incendiary bombing raids over an area of Tokyo. It is courtesy of http://carynschulenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Devastation-of-Tokyo-2.jpg.
• The photo B-25s on Hornet, April 1942 is courtesy of the Museum of the Air Force.
• The Japanese Home Islands map is courtesy of en.wikipedia.com.
• The map captioned CBI Theater Air Bases Used by B-29 Bombers is courtesy of semanticscholar.org.
• The First Bomb - Hiroshima - 6 August 1945 photo is courtesy of upi.com.
• The Second Bomb - Nagasaki - 9 August 1945 photo is courtesy of truthout.org.
• the diagram The Planned Invasion of Japan is courtesy of kilroywashere.org.

Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead -  WWII Japan  >  Victory > Japan Under Attack:

• Access full individual records through bigpigeon.us > WWII Dead > Roster Records.

13-01 - WWII Japan > Victory > Japan Under Attack (0 dead, updated 22 Jul 2025)

• The Japan Overpowered > Strategic Air War - Japan webpage has Air Force deaths from the B-29 raids from China and the Mariana Islands directed against Japan .
• In the US Air War with Japan submodule, the Seventh Air Force webpage has other Air Force deaths in or near the Japanese home islands.
• In the US Navy War with Japan submodule, the US Submarine Force and Third & Fifth Fleets webpages have Navy deaths from US submarine and Naval Aviation activity near Japan.