On September 2, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s surrender in a carefully choreographed ceremony aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Many people think that MacArthur landed in Japan after the ceremony and then began the Occupation. In fact, MacArthur had already been living in Japan for several days prior to the surrender. What was he doing during that time? How did it influence his thoughts on the surrender and Japan’s future?

MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discussed these questions and more on the 77th anniversary of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri.

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