Bridge to the Sun

Young woman (Carroll Baker) meets Japanese mid level diplomat (James Shigeta) prior to outbreak of World War II in Washington, DC. They fall in love and get married despite misgivings of ambassador. When he is transferred home, she goes with him. With bumps and starts, she begins to learn Japanese culture. Once again he is sent to DC and she goes along in 1941. There is intrigue throughout the embassy between the war mongers and those, like her husband, who want to keep the peace. December 7, the Day of Infamy, arrives. While the embassy is in talks with the US govt pursuing peace, bombs are dropping in Hawaii. An exchange of embassy staff between Japan and US is arranged. She and her husband are returned to Japan. They try to settle into "normal" life while she is the American amongst all the Japanese. Heer husband is still among the diplomatic core while he is part of a secret group trying to get to the Emperor to tell him he is being misled by the military into a disastrous war that can't be won. As the war starts to go badly for the Japanese, the husband sends his American wife to a small village to stay out of sight of the warmongers in Tokyo. Starvation is getting bad and she rarely see him as he works in Tokyo. He is being watched due to his alleged ties with the secret peace-seeking group. As U.S. fire bombing campaign gets worse, suspicions are running rampant everywhere. Then the atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Her husband finally gets to see the emperor who is persuaded to record a speech of surrender. As the military are closing in on the peace group, the record is played on the Tokyo radio, surrendering to the Allies. It's over. The people finally hear the emperor's voice for the first time. The war has ended with millions of lives saved on either side due to the husband and his group.