The Kwantung Army ordered its surrender on August 16, 1945, after Hirohito’s announcement.
The Kwantung Army was Japan’s major force in Manchuria, where it had supported the Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo. In August 1945, it faced the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, a large offensive that began on August 9 and rapidly overwhelmed Japanese positions.
General Otozo Yamada, the army’s final commanding officer, ordered the surrender on August 16, one day after Hirohito’s radio announcement. Some Japanese units continued fighting for several days, so the order did not produce an instant end to every clash in the region.
The army’s defeat had major strategic consequences. The Soviet advance captured Manchuria, northern Korea, and other areas, while hundreds of thousands of Japanese personnel became prisoners of war. The campaign also intensified political competition in China after Japan’s collapse.