8. Japan’s Surrender in WWII Shocked the Japanese, and Led Many Into Extreme Denial
During WWII, Japan fought tooth and nail. Despite that, the conflict ended in abject defeat, with the country forced to throw in the towel and surrender in 1945. The shock of defeat sent many Japanese into paroxysms of grief, and quite a few around the bend and into denialism. For them – especially for those outside the country who did not get to see with their own eyes enemy troops occupying Japan – news of the surrender was “fake news”.
Most eventually came to their senses and accepted reality. Many, however, persisted in resisting facts. Thus, thousands of Japanese soldiers in isolated locales around the former Japanese Empire kept on fighting, for months, years, or even decades. Some were innocent cutoff troops, who had not gotten the memo. Others were just stubborn jerks. In Brazil, which hosted a sizeable Japanese immigrant community, a radical group sprang up to terrorize people into denying that Japan had surrendered.
