Considering the city of San Francisco (population roughly 750,000) recently rejected siting the Iowa (which coincidentally was Admiral Halsey's flagship at the surrender ceremony), finding "about 80" protestors in a country of 125 million isn't exactly an overwhelming response. (Assuming the A.P.'s usual accuracy, "about 80 people" probably means substantially less than 80. ;-)
Apparently, even Jesse Jackson can find more protestors than that to protest people opposing the formation of a graduate student union at Yale.
I know the surrender was signed aboard the Missouri, not the Iowa - or did we have two wagons in Tokyo bay at the time?