I made a mistake in writing.(My English is bad.) What I meant was :
1. Japan hoped Soviet Union would help arranging a PEACE treaty between Japan and the Allies.

RYO, I know indiscriminate mass bombing(or A-bombing) thing at that wartime can’t be easily judged black or white from today’s viewpoint. Though, for the most civilian victims, it was all equally terrible.

And the way of thinking “poison to poison” or “attack is the best defense” doesn’t make the thing always better.(I mean the war against Islamic terrorist). Besides, North Korea is just black-mailing the world. If we take NK too seriously, it will only benefit Kim JongIl.

The Soviets managed to grab NK with the help of their agents and members of the communist party, like Kim Il Sung. Who would they have been able to set up to rule, say Hokkaido and Tohoku?

Personally I feel the biggest plus reason for the bombings is that people were able to see exactly how nasty they were, and refrain from using them as they became more and more powerful and tensions rose. The people who died at Hiro/saki may have indirectly saved literally millions of lives.

The firebombing of urban Japan is generally overlooked - if mentioned in any detail, it is usually just the March 10 Tokyo Raid, which killed about 100,000 people. But the other 63 cities that were targeted by the XXI Bomber Command in Guam and the Joint Target Group in the US were at times selected on some very arbitrary criteria indeed.

However I don’t know that they have such little legacy. Since most major cities were bombed, many many people directly experienced war. This may well account for the strong pacifist tendency in Japan and the grassroots support for Article Nine.

I find it comical that Miyake states that Japan was a victim…perhaps more a victim of an uncompassionate Emperor at the time. Japan’s past militant mindframe and the lack of a democratic social system were also large characteristics that made them into victims, but certainly not a victim of America. You cant instigate warfare and later deem yourself a “victim”, thats just absurd.

One of the most frustrating aspects of living in Japan is being told constantly that just about any circumstance, no matter how illogical, unfair, or easily eliminated, “cannot be helped” (shikata-ga-nai or sho-ga-nai).

Now we get word that Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma has applied shikata-ga-nai logic to the end of World War II, saying that the atomic bombing of Japan by the United States during World War II was.

Sorry but it’s another heavily biased article.

On US forums, you find a majority of western people claiming that the A-bombing was unavoidable and , most of all, necessary. So, it’s ok from the mouth of a wetsern guy but not from the mouth of a Japanese guy?

So, the “shikata-ga-nai logic” is OK only when applied by western people, right?

There is no “if” in the history. We don’t know anymore whether 2 atomic bombings really contributed to save possible a million victims and to prevent the Soviet grab Hokkaido, or not. Maybe Yes, maybe No. Leave it to historian.

Rather than that, Japan should have withdrawn from the continent until 1941 or at the latest Japan had to surrender on February 1945 when already some serious discussions (about ending the war) started. As SamSnead says, Japan’s past militant mind frame and the lack of a democratic social system were the fundamental reasons which made their citizens into victims of late tragedy in 1945. Of course Japan had troubled Asian peoples, which made deep isolation of Japan in the international community, was the biggest failure as the nation.

I am not arguing at all about justice or morality in war battles at all. There were hardly such things in that nasty war. Even so, it’s not easy to accept for Japanese that indiscriminate mass bombings or atomic bombings were more humane or inevitable, while they are today trying to maintain the Article 9. There are even opinions among some Japanese that Japan was forced into the war against the USA.(That’s not true). And for a person with naive sentiment like Mr.Miyake, it’s expedient to be an opportunist.

What disappointing for us is that the citizens of UN’s 5 counsel nations don’t know much about the devastations caused by nuclear weapons. If they aim nuclear disarmament, first thing is to inform their citizens more about nuclear devastations. Otherwise we can’t stop the diffusion of weapons of mass destructions in the world.

Too many comments
That carry little knowledge;
That, is our Vittel

You know, Remora, I think this haiku thing just may work out

“I don’t get it, vittel. Where has JP said that? From what I read, the first paragraph is just an introduction to the meaning of the terminology.”

Overoften,

Read the first paragraph with your eyes open please.

What you call an “introduction on the meaning of a terminology” is more judgemental than a mere definition don’t ou think? “no matter how illogical, unfair, or easily eliminated,”
Yeah, very judgemental. And the whole article is based on this, from the start. It can imply that the A-bombing was unfair and easily eliminated.

Seriously, I think it’s not stupid to assume that a judgemental introduction to a news gives a totally different tone to the facts.

Too many comments
That carry little knowledge;
That, is our Vittel

Rattler,

The poster of the article seems to ignore the fact that the idea that the A-bombing was necessary is widely spread in the west. I think it would have been fair to write about that, to put this into its context and to give a more balanced view, instead of beintg judgemental from the start.

Well, that’s just my opinion.
Sorry for using my free breath as much as I do ahaha

there isn’t any point in complaining or grumbling old bean - nobody’s damned well listening!.

it’s not something you will be told by one who has the power themselves to change it

Yes, you are right. Those in power say things like kimari dakara.

TofuUnion, certainly there are many people who believe the Soviet invasion was the crucial factor. I too suspect it might have been the final deciding factor in the end, as everything, and I mean basically everything, in prewar Japan was dedicated to stamping out any trace of communist or socialist ideology: what the Soviets did to the Romanovs was worse than anything the Americans might do to Japan. However the key role for the a-bombs was the timing, which gave Japan an excuse to surrender before the USSR had done too much damage. Without that plausible excuse, how much longer would Japan have put face above life?

In short, there are four factors to look at:
1: The A-Bombs (and other bombing perhaps)
2: Soviet Invasion
3: Inevitable Allied Invasion
4: Gradual starvation of Japan
Each of these played its part, some to a bigger extent than others, but to try and trace the exact balance is well-nigh impossible, and to single out one sole factor is impossible - nothing works in isolation.

I think the reason of Kyuma’s resignation is nothing but election campaign. Kyuma’s remarks drew immediate emotional critics standing on victims side. And there were no particular arguments whether the atomic bombings were unavoidable, or not. (Sigh)

After some considerations, I am convinced atomic bombings could be avoidable. Though I guess America WANTED to use A-Bombs no matter how horrible they were. I remember Dr. Oppenheimer actually didn’t want to use A-Bomb after he had seen its explosion experiment. Some scientists opposed to use A-Bomb. But politicians made the decision for go ahead. There were many reasons.

1. To end the war earlier to save cost and lives of American soldiers.
2. To prevent Soviet Union from invading Japan and to restrain communists block.
3. To examine A-Bombs in real war. (They made surveys in details in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.)
4. Manhattan project cost huge money and the politicians wanted to show the result to the public. If A-bombs hadn’t been used, someone would be called to account.

Probably, I am one of exceptional persons who believe Japan’s past militant mind frame and the lack of a democratic social system (totalitarian emperor system) were the fundamental cause which made their citizens into A-Bomb victims in 1945. I have an aversion even to present emperor system. ( Maybe I am a disgusting guy for compatriots.)

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