Atomic Bomb Shuts Down Japan Stock Exchange 77 Years Ago Today

Each day, Benzinga takes a look back at a notable market-related moment that occurred on this date.

What Happened? On this day in 1945, the Tokyo Stock Exchange closed following the U.S. bombing of Nagasaki.

Where The Market Was: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 165.14 and the S&P 500 traded at 14.83.

What Else Was Going On In The World? In 1945, German leader Adolf Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide. The U.S. dropped the world’s first atomic bombs on Japan, bombing Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug. 10). The average price of a new house in the U.S. was $4,600.

Atomic Bombs Shuts Down Japan Market: Japan’s Tokyo Stock Exchange was opened in May 1878. In 1943, the TSE was combined with 10 other exchanges throughout Japan to form the Japanese Stock Exchange.

The day after the U.S. dropped its second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan closed down trading on the Japanese Exchange. Although Japan would surrender less than a month later, officially ending World War II, the Japanese Stock Exchange would remain closed for nearly four years, finally reopening on April 1, 1949. Following reorganization, the TSE emerged as the largest of five post-war exchanges in Japan.

As of 2017, there are more than 3,500 companies listed on the TSE representing a total market capitalization of more than $5.6 trillion.