End of World War II in Asia The end of World War II in Asia occurred on 14 and 15 August 1945 , when armed forces of Japan surrendered to the forces of the Allied Powers . The surrender came just over three months after the surrender of the Axis forces in Europe . Aftermath . Thailand ( Siam ) . After Japan ' s defeat in 1945 , with the help of Seri Thai , Thailand was treated as a defeated country by the British and French , although American support mitigated the Allied terms . Thailand was not occupied by the Allies , but it was forced to return the territory it had regained to the British and the French . In the postwar period Thailand had relations with the United States , which it saw as a protector from the communist revolutions in neighbouring countries . Occupation of Japan . At the end of World War II , Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers , led by the United States with contributions also from Australia , India , New Zealand and the United Kingdom . This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power . The San Francisco Peace Treaty , signed on September 8 , 1951 , marked the end of the Allied occupation , and after it came into force on April 28 , 1952 , Japan was once again an independent country . International Military Tribunal for the Far East . During the occupation leading Japanese war criminal were tried at the The International Military Tribunal for the Far East ( Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal ) . The tribunal was convened on April 29 , 1946 , to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for three types of crimes : " Class A " crimes were reserved for those who participated in a joint conspiracy to start and wage war , and were brought against those in the highest decision - making bodies ; " Class B " crimes were reserved for those who committed " conventional " atrocities or crimes against humanity ; " Class C " crimes were reserved for those in " the planning , ordering , authorization , or failure to prevent such transgressions at higher levels in the command structure . " Twenty - eight Japanese military and political leaders were charged with Class A crimes , and more than 5 , 700 Japanese nationals were charged with Class B and C crimes , mostly entailing prisoner abuse . China held 13 tribunals of its own , resulting in 504 convictions and 149 executions . The Japanese Emperor Hirohito and all members of the imperial family such as Prince Asaka , were not prosecuted for involvement in any the three categories of crimes . Herbert Bix explains that " the Truman administration and General MacArthur both believed the occupation reforms would be implemented smoothly if they used Hirohito to legitimise their changes . " As many as 50 suspects , such as Nobusuke Kishi , who later became Prime Minister , and Yoshisuke Aikawa , head of the " zaibatsu " Nissan , and future leader of the Chuseiren , were charged but released without ever being brought to trial in 1947 and 1948 . Shiro Ishii received immunity in exchange for data gathered from his experiments on live prisoners . The lone dissenting judge to exonerate all indictees was Indian jurist Radhabinod Pal . The tribunal was adjourned on 12 November 1948 .