A memorial dedicated to a Canadian naval pilot who died while leading an air raid against Japan in the waning days of World War II stands in the northeastern town of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, one of the communities most severely damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
U.S. air raids continued against Japan until the day of its surrender in the Pacific War because Tokyo was reluctant to accept the Potsdam Declaration over the emperor’s status, according to researcher Yozo Kudo.