national

American activist lives on in heart of A-bombed cities

13 Comments
By Keita Nakamura

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

13 Comments
Login to comment

Reality check Japan, you were told to surrender unconditionally in late 1945, you refused numerous times your country owns that. The United States was NOT going to invade Japan and lose twice as many lives as Japanese were lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki put together. The United States was well aware of what it took to invade Normandy in 1944. The decision to drop the bombs was correct, if your government listened to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto firstly your country would have had a different fate. Instead a small group of Japanese military personal (Specifically Gen. Tojo and his staff) decided for your nation to attack the United States at a small port called Pearl Harbor..remember?

Remember December 7th, 1941, Japan? Your country started the war not the United States. Your country had options, but you decided for war, the United States finished that war for you, your country lost deal with it.

Today 2019, Japan is long past playing victim because of the atomic bombs, Japan's atrocities are well known, and being one of the chief instigators of the axis powers. The United States has no business apologizing for dropping the atomic bombs on Japan, it ended the war.

Japan and Europe were rebuilt with the help of the United States, ultimately it was the U.S. taxpayer paying that bill. So Japan your welcome, of course this is not taught in Japanese schools, factually you blame the U.S. for your lack of governance and your war you started.

Today Japan is one of the most technically advanced countries on the planet, the United States and Japan are now allies, even friends. While the past will always be the past, it is the future that will by decided by both our peoples. We can and we must build the future better.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

American activist lives on in heart of A-bombed cities

Nice story. Truly an unsung hero who deserves to be remembered and honored. And its even more heartwarming that people like Mitsuo Baba and Hiroko Nishimura are ensuring that Floyd Schmoe's name and efforts are not forgotten.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That said I have met plenty of Americans who blamed every Japanese for WWII, and every Vietnamese for American deaths in Vietnam during their civil war, and every Russian for the Cold War etc. As one American to another, they spewed that rubbish freely around me.

Sadly, I think you are speaking about something that is more common in America than elsewhere. I have never met a Japanese who blames all Americans for... well, anything. The same in other countries. Americans aren't famous for being especially nuanced.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@darknuts The article clearly says "the United States took the fateful decision". I quoted that bit for a reason. I realize its a kind of short-hand for the government, but its a misleading kind of short hand and it does have its effect of tarring all Americans rather than just those who actually made the decision to wit:

Fact is most Americans at the time supported the bombings

Which is irrelevant to the fact that they were not the ones who made the decision and were not even aware of the decision until AFTER the event. Just the fact you drag that into a discussion about the decision making smacks of you trying to blame Americans for it. I am very careful to blame only those Americans who supported it after the fact for supporting a war crime after the fact, which includes living Americans today.

And who have you met who has blamed every American for the atomic bombs?

No one. As an American its pretty hard to meet such people. I am sure they exist in Japan, perhaps in uyoku circles, but why would they come talk to me? That said I have met plenty of Americans who blamed every Japanese for WWII, and every Vietnamese for American deaths in Vietnam during their civil war, and every Russian for the Cold War etc. As one American to another, they spewed that rubbish freely around me. Also, on Sept. 11, 2001 I watched airplanes piloted by people who apparently blamed every American for imperialism in the Middle East, so lets not act like this sort of mass blaming does not happen.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Absolutely NO! The decision was made in secret by a small cabal of ruthless men in the U.S. government and military! Thus....

And who is saying otherwise?

Everyone needs to stop blaming the whole country of America, or any whole country, for war crimes committed by small groups of men without permission or knowledge of the people!

And who have you met who has blamed every American for the atomic bombs? You're making stuff to provoke controversy.

Fact is most Americans at the time supported the bombings as numerous polls have pointed out. The number has gone down in recent years due to retrospect and changing demographics but a significant portion still believe the bombs were necessary.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Great story. The world needs more Japanese like him.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

President Truman was not a small cabal of men,

You really think the top military leaders and Truman administration officials took no part in the decision? Fact is there is little said about it simply because there were no real dissenters. Truman had the final decision but he may well have decided against if he met sharp dissent.

Besides which, the Quebec Agreement meant that certain people in the British and Canadian governments had to agree to use the bomb, and they did. So it was not just Americans in this cabal who decided. I don't know who exactly decided, but I do know that the British Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson communicated to the Combined Policy Committee on July 4, 1945 that the British government agreed to use the bomb on Japan. Truman was not a dictator. He did not decide alone.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Absolutely NO! The decision was made in secret by a small cabal of ruthless men in the U.S. government and military! Thus....

President Truman was not a small cabal of men,

0 ( +4 / -4 )

the United States took the fateful decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan.

Absolutely NO! The decision was made in secret by a small cabal of ruthless men in the U.S. government and military! Thus....

those houses expressed the goodwill of many Americans who had rued the use of atomic bombs.

Everyone needs to stop blaming the whole country of America, or any whole country, for war crimes committed by small groups of men without permission or knowledge of the people!

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Selflessness. My mother, as old as she is (very), still volunteers for Habitat for Humanity - she no longer wields a hammer but does accounting.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites