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On 2 September 1945, the same day that formal surrender ceremonies took place in Tokyo Bay, the Japanese naval and air base at Truk also surrendered. Located in the Caroline Islands, Truk had served as the focus of Japan's central Pacific power during the first two years of World War II. By mid-1945, however, it had long since been bypassed by the rapidly-moving Pacific war. The commanders of Truk's large remaining Army and Navy garrison, which was largely reduced to a semi-starvation diet and had been the target of frequent attacks by U.S. planes, surrendered on board the U.S. cruiser Portland.
This page features photographs of Truk's surrender and of conditions there at that time.
For further pictorial coverage of the overseas Japanese surrenders, see:
Surrender of Japanese Forces Outside of Japan, 22 August - mid-September 1945 -- Overview and Special Image Selection.
For views of other aspects of Japan's surrender, see: Japan Capitulates, August - September 1945
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 62796 Surrender of Japan, 1945 Japanese Lieutenant General Shunzaburo Mugikura, Commanding General, 31st Army, comes on board USS Portland (CA-33) to attend ceremonies surrendering the Japanese base at Truk, Caroline Islands, 2 September 1945. Truk is visible in the background. Note wooden grating at top of embarkation ladder. Collection of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 83KB; 580 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 62798 Surrender of Japan, 1945 Japanese delegation comes on board USS Portland (CA-33), 2 September 1945, to surrender the base at Truk, Caroline Islands. Those in the front row are (left to right): Lieutenant A.M. Soden, USNR, interpreter; Lieutenant F. Tofalo, USN, Officer of the Deck; Lieutenant General Shunzaburo Mugikura, Commanding General, 31st Army; Vice Admiral Chuichi Hara, Commander, 4th Fleet; Rear Admiral Aritaka Aihara, head of the Eastern Branch of the South Seas Government, and Lieutenant Kenzo Yoshida, Aide to LtG. Mugikura, (carrying bundle). Standing behind them, partially visible, are (left to right): Rear Admiral Michio Sumikawa, Chief of Staff, 4th Fleet; Colonel Waichi Tajima, Chief of Staff, 31st Army, and Lieutenant Ryokichi Morioka, Aide to VAdm. Hara, (carrying briefcase). Note whaleboat rudder in left background, and Truk islands in the distance. Collection of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 82KB; 740 x 595 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 62801 Surrender of Japan, 1945 Japanese delegation in formation on the well deck of USS Portland (CA-33), 2 September 1945. They were on board to surrender the Japanese base at Truk, Caroline Islands. Those in the front row are (left to right): Vice Admiral Chuichi Hara, Commander, 4th Fleet; Lieutenant General Shunzaburo Mugikura, Commanding General, 31st Army, and Rear Admiral Aritaka Aihara, head of the Eastern Branch of the South Seas Government. In next row are (left to right): Rear Admiral Michio Sumikawa, Chief of Staff, 4th Fleet, and Colonel Waichi Tajima, Chief of Staff, 31st Army. In rear row are (left to right): Lieutenant Ryokichi Morioka, Aide to VAdm. Hara, and Lieutenant Kenzo Yoshida, Aide to LtG. Mugikura. Collection of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 70KB; 565 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 62799 Surrender of Japan, 1945 Japanese delegation's senior members in the wardroom of USS Portland (CA-33), 2 September 1945. They were on board to surrender the base at Truk, Caroline Islands. Those in the front row are (left to right): Vice Admiral Chuichi Hara, Commander, 4th Fleet; Lieutenant General Shunzaburo Mugikura, Commanding General, 31st Army, and Rear Admiral Aritaka Aihara, head of the Eastern Branch of the South Seas Government. Standing behind them are (left to right): Rear Admiral Michio Sumikawa, Chief of Staff, 4th Fleet, and Colonel Waichi Tajima, Chief of Staff, 31st Army. Collection of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 76KB; 740 x 595 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 62802 Surrender of Japan, 1945 Japanese Navy Vice Admiral Chuichi Hara, Commander, 4th Fleet, signs the document, at ceremonies on board USS Portland (CA-33) surrendering the base at Truk, Caroline Islands, 2 September 1945. U.S. Navy officers present around the table are (left to right): Lieutenant S.E. Thompson, USNR, Flag Lieutenant; Captain O.F. Naquin, USN, Acting Chief of Staff; Vice Admiral George D. Murray, USN, Commander, Marianas, (seated), who accepted the surrender on behalf of the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas; Captain D.N. Cone, USN, representing Commander, Marshalls and Gilberts; Captain L.A. Thackrey, USN, Commanding Officer, USS Portland; Lieutenant L.L. Thompson, USN, Flag Secretary, and Lieutenant A.M. Soden, USNR, interpreter. Note Marine Corps photographer in right center background, and U.S. flag used as a backdrop. Collection of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 82KB; 740 x 600 pixels |
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Photo #: 80-G-490381 Truk Naval Base, Caroline Islands Wrecked Japanese Navy aircraft on the seaplane ramp of a heavily bombed Truk airfield, 26 August 1945. Photographed from a U.S. Navy plane during the period between the Pacific War cease fire and the formal surrender of Truk, which took place on 2 September 1945. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 135KB; 630 x 675 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
For further pictorial coverage of the overseas Japanese surrenders, see:
Surrender of Japanese Forces Outside of Japan, 22 August - mid-September 1945 -- Overview and Special Image Selection.
For views of other aspects of Japan's surrender, see: Japan Capitulates, August - September 1945
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10 March 1999