Chronology

1931
Sept. 18–19	The Japanese Kwantung Army begins its seizure of Manchuria from China.
1932
Jan. 7	U.S. Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson announces that the United States will not recognize territorial changes acquired through aggression.
Jan. 28–May 5	Japanese troops take control of Shanghai, China, withdrawing after a truce with the Chinese government.
Feb. 18	Japan proclaims the independence of Manchukuo (formerly Manchuria) and sets up a puppet government.
Nov. 8	Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected president of the United States.
1933
Mar. 27	Japan announces that it will withdraw from the League of Nations.
May 31	Japan and China conclude the Tangku Truce, after Japan’s seizure of Chinese territory.
1935
June	China yields to Japanese territorial demands in the HoUmezu agreement.
1936
Nov. 25	Japan and Germany sign the Anti-Comintern Pact.
Dec. 12–25	Chang Hsüeh-liang forces Chiang Kai-shek to agree to cooperate with the Chinese Communists against Japan.
1937
July 7	The Sino-Japanese War begins with clashes between Japanese and Chinese soldiers at the Marco Polo Bridge near Peking, China.
July 28	Japanese troops occupy Peking, China.
July 29	Japanese forces move into Tientsin, China.
Aug. 8–Nov. 8	Shanghai, China, falls to Japanese control.
Aug. 21	The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) and China sign a nonaggression pact.
Dec. 12	Japanese planes sink the U.S. gunboat Panay in the Yangtze River in China.
Dec. 13	Japanese troops capture Nanking, China, and commit atrocities during the “rape of Nanking.”
1938
Apr.	Chinese troops defeat Japanese forces in the Battle of Taierchwang.
May 20	Japanese soldiers capture Hsuchow, China.
July 11–Aug. 10	Japanese and Russian forces clash at Changkufeng near the Soviet, Korean, and Manchurian borders.
Oct. 21	Japan captures Canton, China’s last open seaport.
Oct. 25	Japanese forces move into Hankow, China.
Nov. 3	Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoye announces Japan’s concept of a New Order in East Asia.
1939
May 11–Sept. 16	Japanese and Soviet troops fight between Khalkhin Gol and Nomonhan on the Manchurian-Mongolian border.
Aug. 23	Germany and the U.S.S.R. sign a nonaggression pact.
Sept. 1	Germany invades Poland in the start of World War II in Europe.
Sept. 1	General George C. Marshall becomes chief of staff, U.S. Army.
1940
Apr.–May	The headquarters of the U.S. Fleet moves from California to Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands.
May 10	In Europe, Germany begins its invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France; Winston S. Churchill becomes prime minister of the United Kingdom.
June 22	France surrenders to Germany and establishes a government at Vichy allied with Germany.
July 18–Oct. 18	The British close the Burma Road to China in response to Japanese demands.
Aug. 20–Nov. 30	Chinese Communist troops carry out the Hundred Regiments Offensive against Japanese forces in northern China.
Sept. 23	Japan sends troops into northern French Indochina after pressuring Vichy France for permission.
Sept. 26	President Roosevelt prohibits exports of scrap iron and steel except to the United Kingdom.
Sept. 27	Italy, Germany, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact, forming the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis.
Oct. 12	The Imperial Rule Assistance Association replaces all political parties in Japan.
Oct. 21	The U.S. Asiatic Fleet moves its headquarters from China to the Philippine Islands.
Nov. 5	President Roosevelt is elected to a third term as U.S. president.
Nov. 12	U.S. Admiral Harold R. Stark submits his Plan Dog Memorandum regarding U.S. strategy in event of war.
1941
Jan. 10	Thailand invades French Indochina.
Jan. 27–Mar. 29	American-British Conversations in Washington produce the ABC-1 strategic document.
Jan. 31	Japan mediates the conflict between Thailand and French Indochina.
Feb. 1	Admiral Husband E. Kimmel is named commander in chief, U.S. Fleet, at Pearl Harbor.
Mar. 11	U.S. Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act.
Apr. 13	Japan and the U.S.S.R. sign a neutrality treaty.
June 22	Germany invades the U.S.S.R.
June 28	The United States establishes the Office of Scientific Research and Development.
July 25	Japan sends troops into southern French Indochina.
July 26	In response to the Japanese move into Indochina, President Roosevelt freezes Japanese assets in the United States, imposes an oil embargo on Japan, and nationalizes the Philippine Army under the command of Major General Douglas MacArthur.
Aug. 9–12	President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and their military advisers meet secretly in the Atlantic Conference.
Aug. 14	President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill announce the Atlantic Charter.
Oct. 7	John Curtin becomes prime minister of Australia.
Oct. 18	General Hideki Tojo succeeds Konoye as prime minister of Japan.
Nov. 1	President Roosevelt places the Coast Guard under the control of the navy.
Nov. 17	The U.S. authorizes the arming of merchant ships.
Nov. 26	A Japanese task force under Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo departs for Pearl Harbor.
Nov. 27	U.S. officials in Washington warn commanders in the Pacific that war may be imminent.
Dec. 7	Japan attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, other U.S. military installations in Hawaii, and U.S. bases on Midway Island.
Dec. 8	Japan invades Malaya and Thailand, while also attacking Hong Kong, the Philippine Islands, Guam (Mariana Islands), Wake Island, and the Nauru and Ocean Islands. Japan also occupies the International Settlement at Shanghai, China. (Because of the International Date Line, many of these attacks occur during the same time period as those of Dec. 7.)
Dec. 8	The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States declare war on Japan.
Dec. 9	Japanese troops land in the Gilbert Islands.
Dec. 9	China declares war on Japan, Germany, and Italy.
Dec. 10	Japan sinks the British ships Prince of Wales and Repulse off the Malay coast in the South China Sea.
Dec. 10	Japan seizes Guam (Mariana Islands).
Dec. 10	Japan lands two task forces on Luzon (Philippine Islands).
Dec. 11	Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, which then goes to war against them.
Dec. 11	Japanese troops move from Thailand into Burma.
Dec. 16	Japan invades Sarawak and Brunei on Borneo (East Indies).
Dec. 16	Japanese troops occupy Victoria Point in southern Burma.
Dec. 18	Japanese forces begin their invasion of Hong Kong.
Dec. 20	Admiral Ernest J. King is appointed commander in chief, U.S. Fleet.
Dec. 20	The American Volunteer Group (the “Flying Tigers”) goes into combat near Kunming, China.
Dec. 22	Japan lands large numbers of troops at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon (Philippine Islands).
Dec. 22–Jan. 14	British and U.S. leaders meet in the First Washington Conference.
Dec. 23	Japan captures Wake Island.
Dec. 25	British forces surrender Hong Kong to Japan.
Dec. 26	On Luzon (Philippine Islands), U.S. forces evacuate Manila and declare it an open city.
Dec. 29	The China theater is established under Chiang Kai-shek, with an Allied staff.
Dec. 31	The Allies create ABDACOM, the unified command of American-British-Dutch-Australian forces in the Far East.
Dec. 31	Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the new commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, assumes his duties at Pearl Harbor.
1942
Jan. 1–2	The Declaration of the United Nations is signed in Washington.
Jan. 2	Japanese troops take control of Manila (Philippine Islands).
Jan. 7	As U.S. and Filipino troops complete their withdrawal to Bataan on Luzon (Philippine Islands), Japanese forces begin their siege of the peninsula.
Jan. 11	Japan invades Celebes and Tarakan (East Indies).
Jan. 15	ABDACOM formally commences its operations in Java (East Indies).
Jan. 15–28	Representatives of American republics attend the Rio de Janeiro Conference.
Jan. 20	Japan launches a major offensive in Burma.
Jan. 21	Japanese troops land at Balikpapan, Borneo (East Indies).
Jan. 23	Japanese forces move into Rabaul on New Britain, New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago, and Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
Jan. 23	The Anglo-American Combined Chiefs of Staff hold their first official meeting.
Jan. 24–26	Allied and Japanese forces fight the naval Battle of Makassar Strait off Balikpapan, Borneo (East Indies).
Jan. 25	Thailand, allied with Japan, declares war on the United States.
Jan. 29–Apr. 22	The ANZAC command assumes the defense of the waters between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia.
Jan. 17–31	British forces withdraw from the Malay peninsula to Singapore.
Feb. 1	American naval forces raid Japanese bases in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands.
Feb. 2	U.S. Major General Joseph W. Stilwell is named chief of staff to the supreme commander, China theater.
Feb. 4	Japan fights Allied naval forces in the Battle of Madoera Strait off Borneo (East Indies).
Feb. 8–9	During the night, Japanese troops land on Singapore.
Feb. 9	The Pacific War Council in London meets for the first time.
Feb. 13	Canada and the United States agree to build the Alaska Highway from Canada to Alaska.
Feb. 14	Japan invades Sumatra (East Indies).
Feb. 15	British Lieutenant General Arthur E. Percival surrenders Singapore to Japan.
Feb. 19	Japanese planes attack Darwin, Australia, damaging ships and airfields.
Feb. 19	President Roosevelt signs the executive order authorizing the removal of Japanese-Americans from the U.S. West Coast.
Feb. 19–20	Allied and Japanese naval forces fight in the Battle of Badoeng (Lombok) Strait, near Bali (East Indies).
Feb. 20	Japanese forces invade Timor (East Indies).
Feb. 23	A Japanese submarine fires on an oil refinery in California.
Feb. 25	The Allies dissolve ABDACOM.
Feb. 27–Mar. 1	Japan defeats the Allies in the naval Battle of the Java Sea (East Indies) and lands invasion forces on eastern Java.
Feb. 28–Mar. 1	A Japanese invasion force traveling to western Java battles Allied cruisers in the Battle of the Sunda Strait (East Indies).
Feb. 28–Mar. 9	Japan captures Java (East Indies).
Mar. 7–8	In New Guinea, Japanese troops land at Salamaua and Lae on the Huon Gulf.
Mar. 9	Japan completes its capture of most of the East Indies.
Mar. 9	Admiral King is named U.S. chief of naval operations in addition to his other duties.
Mar. 11–17	On President Roosevelt’s orders, General MacArthur travels from the Philippines to Australia to set up a new command.
Mar. 19	In Burma, British Lieutenant General William J. Slim assumes command of British troops.
Mar. 22	The United States begins the large-scale evacuation of Japanese and Japanese-American citizens from the West Coast.
Mar. 22–Apr. 12	Representing the British government, Richard Stafford Cripps holds unsuccessful talks in India with Mahandas Gandhi and Jawaharal Nehru.
Mar. 23	Japan occupies the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.
Mar. 24	The Combined Chiefs of Staff designate the Pacific to be the responsibility of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
Mar. 25–Apr. 9	Japanese Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo’s forces raid British bases and ships in the Indian Ocean.
Mar. 30	The JCS divide the Pacific into two theaters of operation: the Southwest Pacific Area under General MacArthur and the Pacific Ocean Areas under Admiral Nimitz.
Apr. 1	The Pacific War Council in Washington holds its first meeting.
Apr. 9	American and Filipino forces on Bataan (Philippine Islands) surrender to Japanese troops, who then lead their prisoners on the Bataan Death March.
Apr. 18	The United States bombs Tokyo in the Doolittle Raid.
May 4–8	In the naval Battle of the Coral Sea, the first all-carrier engagement of the war, Allied forces stop Japan’s invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea.
May 5–7	British forces seize the port of Diego Suarez on the island of Madagascar from Vichy France.
May 6	Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright surrenders his forces on Corregidor and orders all U.S. forces in the Philippines to capitulate to the Japanese.
May 15	General Stilwell arrives in India after leading his forces in an overland retreat from Burma; British General Harold R. Alexander establishes his headquarters in Imphal, India.
May 20	Japan completes its conquest of Burma.
June 3	Japan attacks Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands to divert attention from its major offensive at Midway.
June 3–6	U.S. forces defeat a massive Japanese naval force in the Battle of Midway.
June 5–7	Japanese troops land on Attu and Kiska in the Aleutians.
June 9	The last organized American-Filipino forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese, with guerrilla operations continuing.
June 13	The U.S. Office of Strategic Services is established under the JCS.
June 19–25	U.S. and British leaders hold the Second Washington Conference.
June 20–22	Japanese submarines shell Vancouver Island, Canada, and fire on the Fort Stevens military reservation in Oregon.
July 20	President Roosevelt recalls Admiral William D. Leahy to active duty to serve as his chief of staff and as chairman of the JCS.
July 22	Japanese forces land at Buna on the northern coast of New Guinea and begin an offensive by land to Port Moresby.
Aug. 7	U.S. forces land on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida islands in the Solomon Islands.
Aug. 8–9	As the Guadalcanal campaign gets under way, Japanese forces cause severe Allied losses in the naval Battle of Savo Island.
Aug. 17–18	Carlson’s Raiders, a U.S. Marine battalion, assault Japanese forces in the Gilbert Islands.
Aug. 24–25	Japanese and Allied forces fight the naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons.
Aug. 25–Sept. 6	Allied forces turn back a Japanese invasion of Milne Bay in New Guinea.
Sept. 9	A Japanese plane launched from a submarine drops an incendiary bomb in Oregon.
Sept. 17	The Japanese ground offensive for Port Moresby halts.
Sept. 25	The Allied counteroffensive begins in Papua, New Guinea.
Oct. 11–12	Japanese and Allied forces fight the naval Battle of Cape Esperance (Solomon Islands).
Oct. 18	Vice Admiral William F. Halsey succeeds Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley as commander, South Pacific Area.
Oct. 26–27	Japanese and Allied carriers fight the naval Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (Solomon Islands).
Nov. 5	British forces capture the rest of Madagascar from Vichy France.
Nov. 12–15	The Allies defeat the Japanese in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands).
Nov. 30–Dec. 1	Japanese and Allied forces fight the naval Battle of Tassafaronga (Solomon Islands).
Dec. 2	Enrico Fermi directs the first controlled nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago.
1943
Jan. 14–24	British and U.S. leaders meet in the Casablanca Conference.
Jan. 22	The Allies complete the capture of Papua, New Guinea.
Jan. 29–30	Japanese and Allied forces fight the naval Battle of Rennell’s Island (Solomon Islands).
Feb. 8	Brigadier General Orde C. Wingate’s Chindit forces begin operations in Burma.
Feb. 9	The Guadalcanal campaign ends in an Allied victory as Japan evacuates its troops from the island.
Mar. 1–4	In the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, Allied air forces destroy a Japanese convoy carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea.
Mar. 26	In the naval Battle of Komandorski Islands, the Allies prevent the Japanese from reinforcing troops in the Aleutian Islands.
Apr. 18	U.S. planes kill Japanese Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto by shooting down his plane near Bougainville (Solomon Islands).
May 11–30	The Allies recapture Attu (Aleutian Islands).
May 12–25	British and American leaders hold the Third Washington Conference.
June 30	The Allied Southwest Pacific and South Pacific Areas launch Operation Cartwheel.
July 2–Aug. 25	Allied forces capture New Georgia (Solomon Islands).
July 5–6	In the naval Battle of Kula Gulf, Allied forces prevent Japanese ships from reinforcing Kolombangara (Solomon Islands).
July 10	U.S. planes based in Attu (Aleutian Islands) bomb the Kurile Islands for the first time.
July 12–13	Allied and Japanese forces fight in the naval Battle of Kolombangara (Solomon Islands).
Aug. 6–7	In the naval Battle of Vella Gulf, Allied forces prevent Japanese reinforcements from reaching the central Solomon Islands.
Aug. 12–15	British, Soviet, and U.S. representatives meet in Moscow to discuss the Soviet demand for a second front in Europe.
Aug. 14–24	British and U.S. leaders meet in the First Quebec Conference.
Aug. 15	Allied troops invade Kiska (Aleutian Islands), which the Japanese have secretly evacuated.
Aug. 15	Allied troops land on Vella Lavella (Solomon Islands).
Sept. 5–6	In the first significant U.S. airborne operation of the Pacific war, paratroopers land at Nadzab (New Guinea).
Sept. 8	Italy surrenders to the Allies.
Sept. 16	Allied forces occupy Lae (New Guinea).
Oct. 2	Australian troops seize Finschhafen (New Guinea).
Oct. 6	Allied and Japanese forces fight in the naval Battle of Vella Lavella (Solomon Islands).
Oct. 6	Allied operations in the central Solomons conclude with a landing on Kolombangara.
Oct. 18–30	Representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.S.R. attend the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers.
Oct. 30	China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the U.S.S.R. announce the Four-Power, or Moscow, Declaration.
Nov. 1	Allied forces land at Empress Augusta Bay on Bougainville (Solomon Islands).
Nov. 1–2	In the naval Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, Allied forces stop the Japanese from reinforcing Bougainville (Solomon Islands).
Nov. 16	The Allies activate the Southeast Asia Command under British Admiral Louis Mountbatten.
Nov. 20–23	The United States begins its Central Pacific operations with invasions of the Gilbert Islands.
Nov. 22–26	Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, President Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Churchill meet in the First Cairo Conference.
Nov. 23–Dec. 9	Chinese forces halt the Japanese in the Battle of Changteh (China).
Nov. 25–26	The Allies fight the Japanese in the naval Battle of Cape St. George (Solomon Islands).
Nov. 28–30	At the Teheran Conference, the “Big Three” meet together for the first time: President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin.
Dec. 3–7	British and U.S. leaders meet in the Second Cairo Conference.
Dec. 15	Allied forces invade the Arawe peninsula (New Britain).
Dec. 26	Allied troops assault Cape Gloucester (New Britain).
1944
Jan. 2	Allied forces land at Saidor (New Guinea).
Jan. 31–Feb. 7	Allied forces take the Kwajalein atoll (Marshall Islands).
Feb. 4	Japanese troops launch an offensive on the Arakan front in Burma.
Feb. 10	The Allies complete campaigns for the Huon peninsula (New Guinea) and New Britain.
Feb. 15–20	Allied troops invade the Green Islands (Solomon Islands).
Feb. 17–22	Allied forces capture the Eniwetok atoll (Marshall Islands).
Feb. 17–18	The Allies attack Japanese bases at Truk (Caroline Islands).
Feb. 29–Mar. 24	Allied troops capture Los Negros (Admiralty Islands).
Mar. 8	Japan begins a major offensive from Burma toward Imphal and Kohima, India.
Mar. 15–25	Allied forces take Manus (Admiralty Islands).
Mar. 20	Allied troops land on Emirau (Bismarck Islands).
Apr. 18	The Japanese launch their major Ichigo offensive in China.
Apr. 22	Allied forces make amphibious landings at Hollandia and Aitape (New Guinea).
May 17	The Allies land at Sarmi (New Guinea).
May 18	Allied troops invade Wakde Island (New Guinea).
May 27–Aug. 20	Allied troops capture Biak Island (off the New Guinea coast).
June 15–July 9	U.S. forces capture Saipan (Mariana Islands).
June 15	U.S. Boeing B-29 bombers based in China attack the Japanese home islands for the first time, beginning the strategic air campaign against Japan.
June 19–20	In the naval Battle of the Philippine Sea, Japan sustains heavy losses of pilots and planes.
June 22	Japan’s offensive against Imphal, India, is halted.
July 1–15	The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference meets at Bretton Woods in the United States.
July 2	Allied troops capture Noemfoor Island (New Guinea).
July 10–Aug. 25	Allied forces defeat a Japanese army in the Battle of the Driniumor River (New Guinea).
July 18	General Kuniaki Koiso succeeds Tojo as prime minister of Japan.
July 21–Aug. 10	Allied forces capture Guam (Mariana Islands), the first U.S. territory to be retaken from Japan.
July 24–Aug. 1	From bases in nearby Saipan, Allied troops invade Tinian (Mariana Islands).
July 26	President Roosevelt meets with General MacArthur and Admirals Leahy and Nimitz at Pearl Harbor.
July 30	U.S. troops capture Sansapor (New Guinea).
Aug. 3	The Allies take Myitkyina (Burma).
Aug. 5	Prime Minister Koiso establishes the Supreme War Direction Council.
Aug. 8	Japanese forces capture Heng Yang (China).
Aug. 21–29	Representatives from China, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom, and the United States meet at Dumbarton Oaks to discuss the formation of the United Nations organization.
Sept. 12–16	British and U.S. leaders hold the Second Quebec Conference.
Sept. 15	Allied troops land on Morotai (Molucca Islands).
Sept. 15–Nov. 27	Allied forces capture Peleliu (Palau Islands).
Sept. 17–30	Allied troops occupy Angaur (Palau Islands).
Sept. 22–24	Allied forces move into the unoccupied Ulithi atoll (Caroline Islands).
Sept. 28	Allied forces begin a major offensive against the Japanese in the Arakan area of Burma.
Oct. 15	Allied troops under General Stilwell start an offensive in northern Burma.
Oct. 18	On the demand of Chiang Kai-shek, General Stilwell is relieved of his duties and recalled to Washington.
Oct. 20	Allied forces begin the recapture of the Philippine Islands with landings on the island of Leyte.
Oct. 23–26	The Battle for Leyte Gulf, the largest naval engagement in history, occurs as the Japanese try to prevent the Allied capture of Leyte.
Oct. 24	The U.S. China-Burma-India theater is split into two theaters: China and India-Burma.
Nov. 7	President Roosevelt is elected to a fourth term.
Nov. 24	U.S. Boeing B-29 bombers attack Japan for the first time from bases in the Marianas.
Dec. 15	Allied troops capture Mindoro (Philippine Islands).
1945
Jan. 3	Allied forces capture Akyab (Burma).
Jan. 9	Allied troops invade Luzon (Philippine Islands).
Jan. 27	The Burma Road reopens as it is linked with the Stilwell Road.
Jan. 30–Feb. 2	British and U.S. leaders meet in the Malta Conference prior to the Yalta meeting.
Feb. 3–Mar. 4	Allied forces retake Manila (Philippine Islands).
Feb. 4–11	British, Soviet, and U.S. leaders meet in the Yalta Conference.
Feb. 19–Mar. 26	Allied forces capture Iwo Jima (Volcano Islands).
Mar. 3	Allied troops retake Meiktila (Burma).
Mar. 9–10	The United States launches a highly destruction air attack on Tokyo, using incendiary bombs.
Mar. 10	Allied troops land on Mindanao (southern Philippine Islands).
Mar. 20	The Allies take control of Mandalay (Burma).
Apr. 1–July 2	Allied forces capture Okinawa (Ryukyu Islands).
Apr. 3	In an administrative shift, the JCS place all U.S. Army forces in the Pacific under General MacArthur and all U.S. Navy forces under Admiral Nimitz.
Apr. 5	Admiral Kantaro Suzuki succeeds Koiso as prime minister of Japan.
Apr. 7	Allied forces sink the Japanese superbattleship Yamato in the East China Sea.
Apr. 12	President Roosevelt dies and is succeeded by Harry S. Truman.
Apr. 25–June 26	Nations represented at the San Francisco Conference approve the United Nations charter.
May 1	Allied troops land on Tarakan off the coast of Borneo (East Indies).
May 3	The Allies recapture Rangoon (Burma).
May 8	The war in Europe ends with the defeat of Germany.
May 10	Australian soldiers capture the Japanese stronghold of Wewak (New Guinea).
June 10	Allied forces invade Borneo (East Indies) at Brunei Bay.
July 1	Allied troops land at Balikpapan, Borneo (East Indies).
July 14	U.S. ships conduct the first naval gunfire bombardment of the Japanese home islands.
July 14	Italy declares war on Japan.
July 16	The United States successfully tests an atomic bomb near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
July 16–Aug. 2	British, U.S., and Soviet representatives hold their last wartime meeting in the Potsdam Conference.
July 26	In the Potsdam Proclamation, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States demand the unconditional surrender of Japan.
July 26	Clement Attlee replaces Churchill as British prime minister during the Potsdam Conference.
July 30	The USS Indianapolis sinks with heavy loss of life.
Aug. 6	The United States drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Aug. 8	The U.S.S.R. declares war on Japan, effective on August 9.
Aug. 9	Shortly after midnight, Soviet troops invade Manchuria.
Aug. 9	The United States drops its second atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
Aug. 14	Japan notifies the Allies that it surrenders.
Aug. 14	The U.S.S.R. and China sign a treaty of friendship.
Aug. 15	Emperor Hirohito broadcasts the announcement of the surrender to the Japanese people; the Suzuki cabinet resigns.
Aug. 17	Achmad Sukarno and Mohammed Hatta proclaim the independence of the Republic of Indonesia from the Netherlands.
Aug. 18–Sept. 4	The U.S.S.R. occupies the Kurile Islands.
Aug. 20	The Japanese Kwantung Army surrenders to Soviet forces in Manchuria.
Aug. 28	The first Allied occupation forces land in Japan.
Sept. 2	Japan surrenders to the Allies in a formal ceremony on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay; the Allied occupation of Japan officially begins.
Sept. 2	Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh proclaim the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Sept. 3	General Tomoyuki Yamashita surrenders Japanese forces in the Philippine Islands to the Allies.
Sept. 4	U.S. forces assume control of Wake Island from the Japanese.
Sept. 9	U.S. officials receive the Japanese surrender in southern Korea.
Sept. 9	Japanese forces surrender to Nationalist forces in China.
Sept. 9	Chinese forces occupy northern French Indochina.
Sept. 12	British Admiral Louis Mountbatten accepts the Japanese surrender in Singapore.
Sept. 13	British and Indian troops move into southern French Indochina.
Sept. 16	The Japanese command in Hong Kong transfers power to the British.
1946
May	The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes its war crimes trials.
July 4	The Republic of the Philippines achieves independence.
1947
May 3	The new Japanese constitution renouncing war takes effect.
Aug. 15	British India is partitioned into two independent nations: India and Pakistan.
1948
Jan. 4	Burma becomes independent.
Feb. 4	Ceylon becomes independent.
Aug. 15	The Republic of Korea is established in southern Korea.
Sept. 9	The Democratic People’ s Republic of Korea is formed in northern Korea.
1949
Oct. 1	Mao Tse-tung announces the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
Dec. 27	The Netherlands recognizes the independence of Indonesia (the former Netherlands East Indies).
1950
June 25	The Korean War begins.
1951
Sept. 1	Australia, New Zealand, and the United States sign a security treaty.
Sept. 4–8	The Allies meet in San Francisco and conclude a peace treaty with Japan, to take effect April 28, 1952; the United States and Japan sign a security pact.
1952
Apr. 28	The Allied occupation of Japan officially ends.
Apr. 29	The Republic of China signs a peace treaty with Japan.
June 6	India and Japan conclude a peace treaty.
1954
Nov. 5	Burma and Japan sign a peace treaty.
1956
Oct. 19	The state of war between Japan and the U.S.S.R officially ends, although the two countries do not reach agreement on a peace treaty.
1978
Aug. 12	Japan concludes a peace treaty with the People’s Republic of China.