World War 2 and Atomic Bombs
World War 2 started September 1st, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Japan quickly became an ally with Germany as well as Italy. 2 days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. On December 7th, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States joined the war. After 4 years of battles and conflict between the United States and Japan, Japan would still not back off and give up. Finally in 1945, the US came to the decision to use their atomic bombs on Japan. On August 6th, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima killing 80,000 people and wiped out 90% of the city. Shortly thereafter, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. In September of the same year, the Japanese surrendered and the United Nations were created. World War 2 was huge to Japanese history because of how big of a role they played and how they had no resilience against the United States. Japan did not give up even after German leader, Adolf Hitler, went down. This was a major event in Japanese history and this has shaped what kind of county Japan is today.
1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
The 1964 Summer Olympics were very important to Japan and its history. These games were the first Olympics to be held not only in Japan, but the whole continent of Asia. The 1964 Olympics lasted from October 10th - October 24th in the capital of Japan, Tokyo. The games were very important to Japan. It is seen to be the turning point for Japan and its citizens after World War 2. The Olympics were a very good thing to the world because it united the countries after World War 2. The 1964 Olympics were the first big event in Japan since the atomic bombings and brought Japanese citizens to come together to host the games. There were 163 events to go with 5,152 athletes from 93 different countries. The United States won 7/10 of medals in swimming and shocked the world. The Summer Olympics of 1964 turned Japan around and sent them on the right path. The years of destruction, depression and war were behind Japan after the games and sent them forward happy and strong. Without the Olympics being held in Tokyo, Japan could've been in real trouble. Citizens of Japan have even said that the Olympics being held in Japan made a huge impact and brought love within the people of Japan and sent the country towards greatness and peace.