The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks ordered by Harry S. Truman, president of the United States, against the Empire of Japan. The attacks were carried out on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, which contributed, together with the Soviet-Japanese War, to the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. After six months of intense bombing of 67 other cities, the Little Boy nuclear weapon was released on Hiroshima on Monday, August 6, 1945, followed by the detonation of the Fat Man bomb on Thursday, August 9 over Nagasaki. Between 105,000 and 120,000 people died and 130,000 were injured. To date, these bombings are the only nuclear attacks in history.
It is estimated that by the end of 1945, the bombs had killed 166,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki, totaling some 246,000 deaths, although only half died on the days of the bombings. Among the victims, 15 to 20% died from injuries or illnesses attributed to radiation poisoning. Since then, some other people have died of leukemia (231 cases observed) and different cancers (334 observed) attributed to exposure and to the radiation released by the bombs. In both cities, the vast majority of deaths were civilians.
Six days after the detonation on Nagasaki, on August 15, the Empire of Japan announced its unconditional surrender to the "Allies", becoming formal on September 2 with the signing of the capitulation act. With the surrender of Japan, the Pacific War ended and, therefore, the Second World War. As a consequence of the defeat, the Japanese Empire was occupied by allied forces led by the United States - with contributions from Australia, British India, the United Kingdom and New Zealand - and adopted the "Three Antinuclear Principles", which forbade it from possessing, manufacturing and introduce nuclear weapons.
