"As for the Government, it does not find any important value in it, and there is no other recourse but to ignore it entirely."
~ Extract from Washington, Federal Communications Commission, Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service
Mokusatsu: The Deadliest Mistake
"We simply mokusatsu suru."
~ Japanese Premier Kantaro Suzuki
黙殺
Mokusatsu (黙殺) is a vague Japanese word comprised of two characters. 黙, "moku", meaning silence, and 殺, "satsu", meaning kill ("suru" means to do). In English, its direct meaning is "kill with silence", but can be interpreted to numerous extents such as "ignore", "take no notice of" or "withhold comment". On the day the Potsdam Declaration was published to the Japanese public, Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki held a press conference in which he stated, "The government of Japan does not consider it to have much crucial value. We simply mokusatsu suru," as the Supreme Council had not come to a clear decision and still had hopes of Soviet mediation.
Portrait of Kantaro Suzuki. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Mistranslation
Despite Suzuki's intentions, the Allied Powers received a different message from the Domei News Agency transmission of Premier Suzuki's conference carried by Radio Tokyo.
With the mistranslation of "ignore", headlines across America flashed it as rejection.
"This was a piece of foolhardiness... When I heard of this I strongly remonstrated with the cabinet chief secretary, but it was too late... Tokyo radio flashed it – To America!"
~ Toshikazu Kase, former American Affairs expert in the Foreign Office
The Key West Citizen, July 27th, 1945 issue. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Chronicling America.
The Daily Alaska Empire July 27th, 1945 issue. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Chronicling America.
The Johnstown Tribune, July 27th, 1945 issue. Courtesy of The Johnstown Tribune Archive.
The New York Times, July 30th, 1945 issue. Courtesy of The New York Times Achives.
"The Japanese had, in fact, already sued for peace before the Atomic Age was announced to the world with the destruction of Hiroshima, and before the Russian entry into the war."
~ U.S. Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz to Congress
Mid-1945, Japan was all but defeated. If the Japanese knew of the USSR's true stance, they would have surrendered.
"In all probability, prior to November 1, 1945 Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated."
~ U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey
However, the Allies did not take this apparent rejection lightly and Japan would soon experience the "prompt and utter destruction" warned of in the Potsdam Declaration.