Article

2007-07-01 China-Japan-Koreas

Japan says US A-bombs 'couldn't be helped'

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Posted by Fred 2007-07-01 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11124 views ] Top

#1 My understanding is that it ended the war and that it couldnt be helped,

An astonishing degree of Japanese clarity. Let's hope that our current crop of politicians are capable of similar insight should the need arise once again.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-07-01 02:37|| 2007-07-01 02:37|| Front Page Top

#2 Preparing the public to accept nuclear weapons development by Japan itself?

Posted by John Frum 2007-07-01 04:20|| 2007-07-01 04:20|| Front Page Top

#3 nice catch, John. I'd bet on that

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-07-01 08:09|| 2007-07-01 08:09|| Front Page Top

#4 Since the Emporer had prepped the entire nation to commit mass suicide in the event of loss...

Everyone in the nation dead, or two dead cities. Seems a simple choice which was the better outcome for the Japanese.

Posted by rjschwarz 2007-07-01 11:17|| 2007-07-01 11:17|| Front Page Top

#5 Everyone in the nation dead, or two dead cities.

Ummmm, both Hiroshima and Nagasaki are bustling cities today, not "Dead".

Posted by Redneck Jim 2007-07-01 11:59|| 2007-07-01 11:59|| Front Page Top

#6 Nagasaki's GDP exceeds that of Australia and the Netherlands.

Posted by John Frum 2007-07-01 12:12|| 2007-07-01 12:12|| Front Page Top

#7 Mazda accounts for 30% of Hiroshima's GDP, itself larger than those of Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, and Austria.

Posted by John Frum 2007-07-01 12:17|| 2007-07-01 12:17|| Front Page Top

#8 I disagree with Mr Kyuma. Japanese defeat was inevitable. The atomic bomb was the quickest way to end the conflict. Had the Japanese population and American military been further decimated by an invasion, I believe that the Cold War would have proceded very differently. For instance, I can't see the Marshal Plan happening. I think Korea would certainly have been written off.

Posted by Super Hose 2007-07-01 12:20|| 2007-07-01 12:20|| Front Page Top

#9 #2
John, I think you're right. It will take a slow and subtle course to turn the populace from the fear and horror of any nukes to the acceptance of them as necessary for their own arsenal.This will take several years, but you can bet the Chicom ears shot up just like a fox trying to elude the hounds.

Posted by Woozle Elmeter2970 2007-07-01 12:45|| 2007-07-01 12:45|| Front Page Top

#10 I have been working on a historical novel based on the proposed invasion of Japan. My conclusion is that Japan was extremely lucky they surrendered when they did.

In August 1945, the British were ~1 month away from invading Malaya. The Japanese General in charge of SE Asia had given orders to kill any prisoners if it was likely they'd be liberated. This was 200,000 people, of which half were civilians (including women and children).

If they had been killed, I can't see Hirohito escaping a hanging. I also think the relatively benign occupation would have gone out the window.

In addition, the US 20th Air Force was half way through its campaign to bomb the 100 largest cities in Japan. In actual fact we stopped at number 52. Had the war not stopped, this campaign would have continued.

There is more, but I think you can see that Many more people would have died if the war had continued than died from the 2 atomic bombs.

Al

Posted by Frozen Al 2007-07-01 13:50|| 2007-07-01 13:50|| Front Page Top

#11 I read a long time ago that some Japanese who have a historical military background acknowledge privately it was a good thing. We saved them from themselves.

Posted by anonymous2u 2007-07-01 16:22|| 2007-07-01 16:22|| Front Page Top

#12 IIRC, there were plans to drop up to six nukes on the Kyushu beaches during Olympic .

Posted by mrp 2007-07-01 16:23|| 2007-07-01 16:23|| Front Page Top

#13 my Uncle - saved from the Marine invasion by the bombing - was all I need to justify the bombing.

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-07-01 16:24|| 2007-07-01 16:24|| Front Page Top

#14 Saw an interesting article recently - the US is STILL using purple heart medals originally stockpiled for the invasion of the Japanese mainland. And there's over a hundred thousand left.

Posted by DMFD 2007-07-01 17:40|| 2007-07-01 17:40|| Front Page Top

#15 The planned Imperial response to invasion of the Home Islands was: murder of all prisoners & internees along with a fight to the death a la Okinawa & Iwo Jima. This was what was set to take place had the Emperor not surrendered after the first 2 nukes. What would the point of a US-led invasion have been then? I think it was more than likely a fed-up US would have just stood offshore & rained nukes on the Empire until every Imperial subject was incapable to resisting. It might have taken a few more months/years to build the nukes, but no historian has ever probed the disgust of the US electorate in August 1945 with its mounting combat death toll combined with the unexpected & newly acquired ability to utterly devastate an enemy land by the square mile without risking a single serviceman. The Empire of Japan got off very, very easy.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-07-01 17:48|| 2007-07-01 17:48|| Front Page Top

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