With the Japanese capitulation General Heitaro Kimura and his staff surrender their swords to their British counterparts in a formal ceremony at Twelfth Army headquarters in Rangoon, Burma.

Japanese surrender party and escorts march onto the parade ground. Lieutenant-General Sir Montagu Stopford, commander of Twelfth Army, inspects a guard of honour from 25th Indian Mountain Regiment, Indian Artillery. Major Kono and Colonel Ashikawa surrender their swords to Major F S Moffett and Colonel J H E Nash. Lieutenant-General Sakurai, commander Japanese 28th Army, surrenders his sword to Brigadier J D Shapland (commander Royal Artillery, Twelfth Army). General Kimura, commander Burma Area Army and escorted by Brigadier L J Woodhouse (commander No.1 Area (Rangoon) South Burma District), surrenders his sword to Brigadier E F E Armstrong (Brigadier General Staff, Twelfth Army) who in turn presents it to Stopford.

Notes

To the British the surrender of swords was considered a vital part of the demilitarisation of Japan. Hoping to avoid a parallel to the end of the First World War, where the German Army marched home with its arms and plausibly 'undefeated', it was hoped that the formal surrender of swords would make the reality of defeat incontestible.

In his memoirs, published in 1956, General Slim (commander of 14th Army which reconquered Burma) refers to General Kimura's sword as 'now on my mantelpiece, where I always intended one day it should be'.

This ceremony was covered by a number of other cameramen and in stills held by the IWM Photograph Archive. See related items.