Conclusion

The Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in September 1945 exemplified so much about the Pacific War and how it had been reported, from the large number of reporters who were finally in the theater to MacArthur’s effort to dominate the show. For once, the army and navy stood side by side without too much tension, but during the war competition between them had often shaped how the home front had received news from the battlefield. Tension had emerged between the services and the reporters as well, while veteran reporters had often evinced a deep disdain for those they considered dilettante interlopers. Conflict was therefore a hallmark of media-military relations during the Pacific War, but in the final analysis the media invariably acted as an important unifying voice, creating a shared narrative about the war that was rarely questioned by partisan politicians.