Squiz Today

Squiz Shortcuts: How Australia helped defeat Japan in WWII

14 Aug 2025

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It’s the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day, which marks the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Imperial Army to the Allied Forces in WWII. Australia played a big role in the Pacific theatre of the war, which came to a swift end following the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll cover the events leading up to VP Day, Australia’s part in them, and why VP Day is especially meaningful for us… Squiz Recommends: Looking: This exhibition of photos relating to VP Day that the Australian War Memorial is displaying until the 12th of October - but if you can’t make it to Canberra, you can have a look at a selection of them on their website. Watching: The BBC’s Antiques Roadshow has made a special episode to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VP Day. They’ve uncovered some rare keepsakes and mementos as they always do, but this one includes things like a chess set hand carved by a British soldier during his time as a prisoner of war on the Burma railway. Reading/Watching: The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan’s award-winning book and the subsequent series starring Jacob Elordi - Claire and Andrew say it’s a tough watch but a good one. You can find it on Prime… Email us: Got a topic you want us to tackle? Send us your Shortcut suggestions to ⁠[email protected]⁠. Squiz Shortcuts is your back story to the big news stories… Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here

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Squiz Today

Squiz Shortcuts: How Australia helped defeat Japan in WWII

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other episodes from Squiz Today

Minimum wages get a boost, and a devilish mystery on the Gold Coast

The heated rivalry behind the Stanley Cup

The tax reform debate continues, and Farnesy tickets are on sale

An update to our AUKUS plans, and cashing in on horror

The government launches a lawsuit over PFAS, and a huge French Open upset

Squiz Shortcuts: Teal or no teal

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