Which Japanese army ordered its surrender on 16 August 1945?

The Kwantung Army ordered its surrender on 16 August 1945.

The Kwantung Army was Japan’s major military force in Manchuria, a region Japan had controlled through the puppet state of Manchukuo. By 1945, it had many personnel but was weakened by transfers of experienced troops and modern equipment to other fronts.

The Soviet invasion of Manchuria began on 9 August 1945. Soviet forces rapidly attacked across multiple fronts, overwhelming Japanese defenses and defeating the Kwantung Army’s remaining organized resistance. General Otozō Yamada, its final commander, ordered the surrender on 16 August, one day after Emperor Hirohito’s public announcement.

The army’s surrender did not mean every Japanese unit stopped fighting immediately. Communications were difficult across the huge theater, and isolated forces continued resisting for some time. The Kwantung Army’s collapse nevertheless demonstrated the scale of the Soviet offensive and added major military pressure during Japan’s final surrender crisis.