On This Day

British liberate Hong Kong from Japan

The Liberation of Hong Kong (Yue Chinese: 香港重光), also known as the British Reoccupation of Hong Kong (Yue Chinese: 英國重佔香港) or the Resumption of British Sovereignty Over Hong Kong (Yue Chinese:...

The Liberation of Hong Kong (Yue Chinese: 香港重光), also known as the British Reoccupation of Hong Kong (Yue Chinese: 英國重佔香港) or the Resumption of British Sovereignty Over Hong Kong (Yue Chinese: 英國對香港恢復行使主權), refers to the end of Japanese occupation of Hong Kong following Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945, the arrival of the Royal Navy on 30 August, and the official surrender ceremony in Hong Kong on 16 September. Prior to the surrender in the Cairo Conference, leader of Nationalist China Chiang Kai-Shek once requested that Hong Kong come under Nationalist control after the war, but the British rejected. As friction increased between Nationalists and Communists in China, Chiang relented and agreed to resume British sovereignty instead.

Events Before

  1. D-Day: The Normandy Landings

    Allied forces launch the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.

  2. Omar al-Bashir is born

    Omar al-Bashir is born

  3. Army defeats Navy 10-7 in football "Arab Bowl," Oran, North Africa

    Army defeats Navy 10-7 in football "Arab Bowl," Oran, North Africa

  4. Siege of Leningrad lifted by the Soviets after 880 days and more than 2 million Russians killed

    Siege of Leningrad lifted by the Soviets after 880 days and more than 2 million Russians killed

  5. Battle of Eniwetok: US forces take Enewetak Atoll at the cost of 37 Americans killed or missing and 94 wounded; Japanese

    Battle of Eniwetok: US forces take Enewetak Atoll at the cost of 37 Americans killed or missing and 94 wounded; Japanese losses are 800 dead and 23 prisoners

Events After

  1. UN General Assembly meets for the first time in London

    The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ.

  2. United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting, at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster, England

    United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting, at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster, England

  3. American actor John Wayne (38) weds actress Esperanza Baur (25) in Long Beach, California; divorce in 1954

    American actor John Wayne (38) weds actress Esperanza Baur (25) in Long Beach, California; divorce in 1954

  4. NY Giants outfielder Danny Gardella is the first major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican Basebal

    NY Giants outfielder Danny Gardella is the first major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican Baseball League for contract worth $13,000; triggers US MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler to impose a five-year minimum ban on players who move to the rival league

  5. General Juan Perón is first elected President of Argentina

    Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer and politician who was the 29th and 40th president of Argentina, serving from 1946 to his overthrow in 1955, and from 1973 to 1974.

More from the 1940s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 29, 1945?
The Liberation of Hong Kong (Yue Chinese: 香港重光), also known as the British Reoccupation of Hong Kong (Yue Chinese: 英國重佔香港) or the Resumption of British Sovereignty Over Hong Kong (Yue Chinese: 英國對香港恢復行使主權), refers to the end of Japanese occupation of Hong Kong following Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945, the arrival of the Royal Navy on 30 August, and the official surrender ceremony in Hong Kong on 16 September. Prior to the surrender in the Cairo Conference, leader of Nationalist China Chiang Kai-Shek once requested that Hong Kong come under Nationalist control after the war, but the British rejected. As friction increased between Nationalists and Communists in China, Chiang relented and agreed to resume British sovereignty instead.
Why is British liberate Hong Kong from Japan historically important?
Prior to the surrender in the Cairo Conference, leader of Nationalist China Chiang Kai-Shek once requested that Hong Kong come under Nationalist control after the war, but the British rejected. As friction increased between Nationalists and Communists in China, Chiang relented and agreed to resume British sovereignty instead.

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