TMhis silent, raw footage from September, 1945 was shot by an unknown U.S. serviceman. It shows General Douglas MacArthur on his first day in Japan, touring the battle damaged city of Tokyo. At :29, you will see Mac in a touring car, switching to a larger vehicle. At :47, General MacArthur is seen making a triumphant speech as the Stars and Stripes again fly over the U.S. Embassy. Troops stand in review. In addition to General MacArthur, Maj. Gen. Wm. C. Chase, and Admiral Wm. F. Halsey and Lt. Gen. R. L. Eichelberger were at the Embassy that day. At 1:41, the General’s guard is seen, and there is more footage of Mac in profile. At 2:22, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel is seen. It would become the billet for much of his staff for the six years of the occupation of Japan.
At 2:26, a Japanese family is seen walking down the road, the kids posing for American troops.
At 3:15, the scene switches to another location, presumably still Japan, with American air men receiving decorations including the Legion of Merit as a band plays. Wrecked buildings can be seen in the background. Men pose with their medals for the camera. At 8:05, an American soldier seems to speak with a Japanese or Chinese counterpart. Downtown Tokyo is seen at 8:42, with fire damage evident but many buildings still intact. There is very little traffic visible. At 9:30, rubbish heaps are visible on the streets.
At 11:23, a C-46 Commando arrives carrying what appears to be the official Japanese surrender delegation. At 12:10, there are shots from an aircraft of what is apparently coastal Japan. At 13:17, a U.S. flag is put up over the ruins of a Japanese air base with lots of wrecked airplanes visible. At 14:17, a sign is seen directing traffic towards Tokyo. A Signal Corps Photo Jeep is seen at 14:25 approaching the checkpoint. A sign in the window says “U.S. Army Official Photographer.”
More info: 3:12 to 3:50 is Hibya Dori with the camera panning over the Imperial Palace. Completely redeveloped now the location of the camera is like now the newly opened Hibiya Midtown Bldg. To the right of Hibiya Dori is Marunouchi, the business centre of Japan, now almost completely redeveloped with modern office towers and a Peninsula Hotel. The Imperial Palace is basically unchanged since this film. 9:50 to 11:20 is the outer gardens of the Imperial Palace, near Sakuradamon. Now very popular with runners. Basically unchanged to date. 11:26-12:03 Probably not Japan, but Philippines. Guessing its the peace delegation that flew to the MacArthur HQ in the Philippines via Iejima, Okinawa. 12:00-12:30 is Enoshima and Shonan coastline near Kamakura, Kanagawa Pref. approaching to 12:35 Atsugi Air Base. 14:00 Damaged factories, likely in Kawasaki City, 14:12 Kawasaki, Asahi Ward, bridge over Tama River and Route 15 “Dai Ichi Keihin” (March 2019)
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
