Item number: M117

Year: AD 1979

Material: Metal

Size: case 103.1 x 54.9 x 24.2 / medal 29.1 x 77.7 x 1.7 mm

Weight: 20.3 g

Provenance: Quan Jian Zhai 2022

The medal is the “Greater East Asia War Commemorative Medal,” awarded by the Japan Hometown Federation in AD 1979 to commemorate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the end of the war. It is accompanied by a black lacquer case with gilt lettered inscription and a circular medal pendant.

The appearance of this item is that of a circular metal medal. On the obverse side, it features two intersecting swords, a radiant eight-pointed star, and a chrysanthemum emblem (symbolizing the Japanese imperial family) at the center, surrounded by cherry blossom motifs. On the reverse side, there is a map of the Pacific region, with the inscription “Greater East Asia War” encircling the top of the medal. Below it, the dates “December 8, the 16th year of the Shōwa era (AD 1941) – August 15, the 20th year of the Shōwa era (AD 1945)” are engraved. The ribbon of the medal starts with purple and light blue stripes on each side, followed by dark green stripes, with white in the middle. Additionally, the ribbon includes a nameplate with the inscription “Commemorative Medal” (紀念之章).

The design of this medal bears a striking resemblance to the “Greater East Asia War Medal,” thus making them easily confusable.

The Greater East Asia War refers to Japan’s military campaign in the Far East and Pacific theaters during World War II, now commonly referred to as the Pacific War. It began on December 7, AD 1941, when Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, inflicting significant losses on the American Pacific Fleet and marking the beginning of the Pacific War. Subsequently, Japan embarked on a large-scale expansion campaign in the Pacific region, occupying various territories in Southeast Asia, Pacific islands, and additional territories in China.

However, as the war continued, the Allied forces, led by the United States, launched counteroffensives and gradually suppressed Japan’s power on the battlefield. As the war progressed, the Allies initiated a series of counterattacks against Japan’s occupation in the Pacific region, including a sequence of naval battles and island campaigns such as the Battle of Midway, the Battle of Guam, and the Battle of Iwo Jima. On August 6 and August 9, AD 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, marking the first and only use of nuclear weapons against civilian targets in history. The deployment of these atomic bombs resulted in massive destruction and casualties, forcing the Japanese government to face reality. Eventually, on August 15 of the same year, Japan announced unconditional surrender.

物件編號: M117

年代: 公元 1979 年

材質: 金屬

尺寸: 盒 103.1 x 54.9 x 24.2 / 獎章 29.1 x 77.7 x 1.7 mm

重量: 20.3 g

來源: 泉鑒齋 2022

此枚獎章為公元1979年日本鄉友連盟為紀念終戰三十五周年而頒發的「大東亞戰爭紀念之章」，附有燙金字的黑色漆盒，與圓形的獎章領扣。 

該物件的外觀為一枚圓形金屬獎章，獎章的正面由兩把相交的太刀、綻放的八芒星、以及位於中央的菊紋章(象徵日本皇室)組成，周圍有象徵陸軍的星星和海軍的錨的紋飾環繞。背面則為太平洋地區的地圖，環繞獎章上方刻有「大東亞戰爭」的字樣，下方則為「昭和16年12月8日-昭和20年8月15日」。該獎章的綬帶由兩側開始分別是紫、淺藍、深綠的細條，中間則為白色。另外綬帶還掛有「紀念之章」字樣銘牌。 

此獎章的設計與「大東亞戰爭從軍記章」大致上十分相似，因此兩者易受人混淆。

大東亞戰爭為日本對第二次世界大戰時位於遠東和太平洋戰場的戰爭總稱(現多使用太平洋戰爭稱呼)，始於公元1941年12月7日，當時日本對美國海軍基地珍珠港發起襲擊，對美國太平洋艦隊造成了重大損失，成為了太平洋戰爭的開端。 接著，日本展開了對太平洋地區的大規模擴張行動，佔領了東南亞各地、太平洋島嶼和中國的更多領土。在此過程中，日本軍隊向各地的盟國進行了進攻，並迅速擴大了其在太平洋地區的勢力範圍。然而，隨著戰爭的持續，以美國為首的盟軍展開了反擊，並在戰場上逐漸壓制了日本的勢力。隨著戰爭的進行，盟軍對日本在太平洋地區的佔領展開了反攻其中包括了一系列的海戰和島嶼戰役，如米德島戰役、瓜島戰役和硫磺島戰役等 。 公元1945年8月6日和8月9日，美國在廣島和長崎投下了原子彈，這是歷史上第一次和唯一一次使用核武器對平民目標進行的攻擊。這些原子彈的投放造成了大規模的破壞和人員傷亡，迫使日本政府面對現實，最終在同年8月15日宣布無條件投降。