I'm aware that the 2 devastating attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, coupled with the Soviet invasion of Manchukuo effectively forced the Japanese to surrender, but Japan is famous for being a proud country, and I'm wondering what the impact and the effects of the surrender were for the Japanese population?
It was generally not taken very well, to make an understatement.
Emperor Hirohito knew that the Japanese people would be absolutely distraught over even the idea of defeat and surrender to an enemy on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and his thoughts on the subject of the war and his decision to surrender -- agreed to by his Ministers, though not with the rest of the high-ranking government and military officials (see the Kyujo incident) -- can be seen in this video of Hirohito's radio broadcast, known commonly as the "Jewel Voice broadcast".
Immediately upon the occupation, General MacArthur ordered that occupying American troops not assault or commit violence upon or towards Japanese people, and food on the islands -- already extremely scarce due to rationing and the poor outlook of the war effort -- was not to be consumed by occupying soldiers.
Generally the Japanese public took the end of the war, with victorious America, Britain, Australia, China, and Russia overlooking defeated Japan, very poorly; the images of people bowing their head in sadness and prayer, distraught at their defeat, were not uncommon.
