At least 85,000 were killed March 10, 1945, when U.S. B-29 bombers began dropping incendiary bombs of jellied gasoline and magnesium on the dense and wooden metropolis of Tokyo. Since 2002, a little-known brick structure within the historical bomb zone represents the main archive for the Great Tokyo Air Raid.

A day at Yasukuni Shrine — on its grounds and at the accompanying military museum — offers a surprisingly in-depth perspective to both the ceremonial beauty of Japan and the former imperial aggression of a now peaceful nation.

On June 29, 1945, American fighters launched a raid on the Sasebo Naval District, an expansive base on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. The Japanese defenders fired more than 600 artillery rounds from 13 air defense posts and 167 rounds from three heavy machine guns. They felled four American aircraft but were ultimately unable to stave off the attack.