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© 2013 AFPNagasaki marks 68th anniversary of atomic bombing
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© 2013 AFP
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oldsanno
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/after-hiroshima-truman-fa_b_3727286.html
USA just wanted to test their toy on humans.
KnowBetter
Maybe Oliver Stone will make a movie about his claims. I'd watch it.
Japan just before the two A-bombs were dropped was all but done and had lost the war (widely known at the time by the US powers that be).
Why didn't the US just level a small island with no civilian population to show the Japanese Military what would happen if they didn't surrender? Oh, that's right, the US didn't know how the A bomb would work when dropped from that altitude and if their 'demonstration' failed then they would have been laughed out of the Pacific Theater so instead with no warning dropped the A-bomb on Hiroshima and the Nagasaki. When those bombs worked the US said something along the lines of "there you go, look what you made us do" and quickly sent their scientists to gather up as much data as they could on the effects of their atomic terrorism.
The US wanted to prove its new weapon and NEEDED to drop them on a real live target to get their 'scientific' results.
K.kawanp
If you look at insistence of US why they launched nuclear weapon to Japan is to make it finish before many of people die, however so many people died by their carelessness action, and after that US just controlled Japan as a victorious country of World War 2. US just have strongest military and economy. They do not have their honor and pride. If they have it, then they must not have launched unclear weapon to Japan and had a meaningless war in Iraq.
SuperLib
As before, it's their day. Let them have it t grieve.
JeanValJean
The A-bombings are the Japanese Holocost. MacArthur rightly opposed them. Shame on US Government, then and now.
Laguna
Thank you for the link to a most excellent article, oldsanno.
The article states, "...the Nagasaki bomb was not the last shot of World War II but the first blow of the Cold War." There may be some truth to that.
The article also states, "After hearing of Nagasaki, however, Truman quickly ordered that no further bombs be used without his express permission...." Two days too late, but fortunately, the reality that this weapon is too horrible for use has been realized by most nations. The next step is their complete abolition.
smithinjapan
Peace be to all those who died, and may those that survived find it as well.
80393
@kawanp
is japan the model for honor an pride? im sure their victims would argue with you on that one. and the strongest military and economy are absolutely things to be proud of.
Novenachama
My sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the people of Nagasaki and to the victims of the atomic bombing including the families of the deceased and the survivors who despite surviving the calamity are struggling with its after effect. We must never forget the complete destruction of human existence that can be caused by nuclear weapons. It is the responsibility of this generation to continue strongly pleading to this world for everlasting peace of mankind without nuclear weapons for a global society filled with unconditional love.
nath
Without the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Nagasaki and Hiroshima would not have happened. Similarly, without the bombing of Pearl Harbour, all of China, Korea and South East Asia would be speaking Japanese today. This is retribution. A wrong doing triggering a fatal self experience cannot blame the experience on anyone else but himself. This is the difficulty that most old Japanese refuse to face but continue to try to hide the history of the country's atrocities against human kind from its younger generations.
Charize Karrine
Any happenings during a war is forgivable because it is a time where there are no laws for each fighting countries.The Japanese did the most horrible things to their Asian neighboring countries and what the Americans did was to stop the Japanese and protect the abused countries invaded by the Imperial army which was a slave to the Showa emperor. The bombings were needed to stop the Japanese from destroying and abusing other countries with unimaginable ways that only animals with no soul can do to people. Look up in some of the history books and find out the truth.In the Japanese tv's they are saying "Stop Bombings" " Stop war, America" These Japanese don't remember that they were the ones who started the war not the Americans.The Americans stopped the war by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the Japanese won't stop.Just like a child who does not stop doing inappropriate things and when they do not listen ,parents spank them.So the Americans only spanked the hard headed Japanese.Plain and simple.
nath
During the days of anniversary of atomic bombing. Few people think of the evils that brought the others like China, Korea, etc, but to blame the USA should not bomb Japan that day, and even launched a new aircraft carrier.
What does this mean? what kind of information does the government want the other people to know?
No regrets of the War?
Serrano
"USA just wanted to test their toys on humans"
Or, USA just wanted to end the war which had already taken thousands of American lives, and save thousands more lives on both sides.
Nagasaki and Hiroshima residents should realize that their cities would never have suffered atomic bombings if their government had not killed Americans and caused all that mayhem at Pearl Harbor.
praack
Ah Charize- you sound like my mother
however the Nazi's were never subjugated to the same fate- nor the withholding of allied medical care afterwards (though our scientists did get a lot of good research in)
I struggle with this last legacy of what we call the good war in the states- when we had Japan beaten, when our fire bombing of the cities did the same thing but allowed for more people to live.
when you come to it- you never know how great a weapon you have until you use it- and i think that is what the military was at- wondering how good a weapon they really had-
and in the United States of the day- which is so much different from today- Japanese were not treated as they are today- remember we sent these original Nisei's to prison camps- because they did not look like us
so very easy to use nukes on their home country while the german pow's are in our fields and dating our girls
Gengar
The Japanese attacked a military fleet at Pearl Harbor (Serrano). The A bombings was the worst war crime ever.
nath
@Gengar,
An American movie director said, these two A bombs are not neccesary. The only reason for this was to prevent the Soviet army.
That means if the American did not drop them, Japan would not surrender, and the Soviet army would go forward and at last splitted Japan into two parts just like Gemeny.
How about this explaination?
kuuku
prayers and deep condolences toward the affected victims and families, history can be right and/or wrong, but what is matters is to remember the day that should not be repeated, and to progress in human love and compassion.
K.kawanp
@80393 I am talking about humanitarianism. How many times have US had nuclear experiment so far? Why only 5 countries are allowed to have unclear weapon legally? Even US-JPN has tied up military alliance, why they repeat to rape in Okinawa basis? I do not say that no one have their honor and pride as strongest country, but an image is created from your behavior, attitude, and what you have done. US has been avoiding to take a responsibility for past mistakes. Before US push Japan to let them stop provocations such as prime ministerial visits to Yasukuni and other things, they should re-watch what they have done and what they have to regret to take back their honor and credit which were lost by Iraq war.
Ruud Thea Bisenberger
Answer to Know Better. I think Oliver Stone should make a movie of the sadistic nature of the Japanese military during WW2. I was a war victim and together with my mother, her sister and two children we were put in these horrible Japanese prison camps, because we were blanda's (white) My father died on the infamous Birma railway. Tortured and starved and worked to death. Oliver Stone should make a movie of these happenings. Japan seems to have forgotten what they did to humans. The bombs saved our lives. The women had to dig trenches, which would be their graves. Hirohito your Emperor had ordered that all prisoners should be liquidated, and he did not care how it would be done. Poison them, shoot them, whatever you think will be easy, but leave no traces. The liquidation date was set for 26 August. A lot of you have no idea what went on in these camps. It is about time that Japan tells this side of the story. Yes the bombs were horrible. but Japan was going to fight till the last man standing. My mother and my aunt were Dutch and were in Camp Moentilan on Java. I have seen horrible things as a child. Both my mother and her sister were raped by your military. No Pearl Harbor no Hiroshima. Japan has never taken the blame. It's about time they take the blame maybe the shame will go away.Millions more would have lost their lives, if the bombs had not fallen. Think about that, and today there would not have been a Japan. It's sad that innocent people are the ones who suffer the most, and I feel for the victims of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. But does Japan feel badly about the millions of victims of their military past????????
Mitch Cohen
Why, because an unprovoked attack on human lives (Pearl Harbor) is not as bad as a counter-attack on human lives (A-bombings) ?
All murder is horrific, and the only difference between the two bombings were the scale.
US soldiers who died in Pearl Harbor were killed in their thousands completely defenceless, just as helpless as the innocent Japanese people. Or do you think dying in an A-bombing is somehow worse than dying in a conventional bomb attack?
Qamar
@Mitch Cohen- the difference is RADIATION. The scale would be bigger if you take in consideration how many died slow painful deaths due to radiation burns etc..
But I agree that all murder is horrific, but you know in the end, who are the ones that always suffer? The innocents..the people who really wanted the war many times escape punishment or kill themselves before they manage to get it.
rranta
I will offer a prayer for all who died in those terrible blasts. Why the weapons were used is clear: The Japanese soldier would never surrender to an invading army. Even after the first bomb was dropped, the army still wanted to died in glory. However, folks who wanted to survive and responsibly re-build their country, won. Look at the giant that is Japan today. You won this war.
toshiko
We old timer Japanese give courtesy to Gen. MacArther, Pres. Ike, Pres. Roosebelt. Truman? Just Truman.
technosphere
History as a science doesn't know words as "could, would, should"
That "history books" were written for uneducated US auditory only. FYI, those bombs had nothing to do with a "stopping of war" It was an inhuman experiment over innocent population of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a field test of combat nuclear devices. American leadership did not drop bombs on military installations such as military base or naval harbour. Playing your "Pearl Harbour card" is a rather old and primitive trick. Japanese never bombed american cities or towns with civilians. Imperial Japanese Army in Manchuria was defeated by Soviets. Japan had neither sources nor military power to continue a war. And bombings of cities, filled by civilians is a War Crime and Act of utter cowardice. Plain and simple.
gelendestrasse
Bisenberger is absolutely correct that the Japanese, and Stone, et. al., have nothing to complain about. The atomic bombs stopped the Japanese in their tracks. No more execution of noncoms, no more "experiments" on prisoners, no execution of POWs. There were idiots in the Japanese military who were ready to fight on and do all of the above. But once it was clear to Hirohito and some others that the Japanese wouldn't get a chance to fight, they would just be bombed out of existance, they decided to accept the terms. The estimates of the lives that would have been lost in an invasion is a factor of 10x what was lost in the atomic bombings. Life in Japan under Stalin would have made Hirohito and the war cabinet look like choirboys - just ask anybody in East Germany. The Japanese benefited from a quick end to the war as much as the allies.
While I am one of the ones who says that China and SK should stop carping about WWII and get on with real dialogue the idea that the Japanese were innocent victims is a pathetic whitewashing of history. Japan needs to understand that once the Allies understood what Japan had done in the Phillipines, Burma, etc. and how they fought and behaved on Okinawa the decision to drop the bombs wasn't so difficult. It became a matter of ending the war by the quickest method available. And after seeing what the Japanese had done, it didn't matter what was done to the Japanese any longer. End the war, period.
The Japanese brought this on themselves. Get over it.
Piotr Gierszewski
USA considered bombing Germany with A-bombs as well, if things didn't go as planned. The atomic bomb is controversial because it doesn't just kill people, it leaves radiation. A-bomb should be banned like gas weapons which were eliminated after the Great War (WW1).
CrimsonRedMoon
Nuking people never did the world any good and for those who want to bring up japans bloody history why not bring up every other countries history to after all every country in the world has committed it's own fair share of atrocities to.
25psot
Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragedy did show that using atomic weapons is senseless and this created plug in human thinking not to use this weapons again and this is still in effect after so many decades.
Godzillajapan84
The atomic bombings on Japan were indeed a horrible event indeed nothing like it should ever happen again we cannot change the past but we can affect the future. Many claim the bombs were unjustified many claim they were whatever it may be the bombs were dropped and the war ended soon after. Its time to stop bickering and complaining about the past. Japan refuses to forget the A bombs as Asia refuses to forget Japans wartime aggression. War is hell. horrible things were done in that horrible war. Though we should not forget the mistakes we made we must move on. Its been over 60 yrs and the world continues to move forward. We must all move with it. We can't sit and complain about the past forever. We must focus on the future of our species. We are all human we are all the same.
almxxx
I really wonder why people, when discussing events as the above, never ask "what the hell kind of a place is Earth, anyway"?
nath
@almxxx,
The world is beautiful, only when people have a bad view of it. And these people are likely to be brutal base on your view.
So the criminals have a big percentage of pessimistic view.
CrisGerSan
I apologize deeply to Mayor Tomihisa Taue San and all of the victims families and survivors of this terrible act. It WAS NOT necessary or humanely acceptable in any way, and should never have been thought of or allowed or happened. I knew the daughter of Oppenheimer who led the project to develop the atomic bomb and he went to his grave deeply deeply ashamed and horrified at the use made of the bomb, and knowing the development had been a colossal mistake ..for humanity is clearly not ready to use such power correctly and may never be. I feel deep sorry and shame for this event, and hope for peace for those who died and who suffered after. To this day, American officially has never taken stock or appolgoized to Japan as it should have, so this is all i can do for now, but I mean it with all my heart. I am sorry.
80393
@cris- if your father, brother or son was in a japanese prision camp would you feel the same way? would you be content to let them rot in that sadisdic hell on earth until the japanese decided to surrender?
toshiko
People in Japan know that only Truman ordered, Pikadon not American people. They just pray for victims in these memorial days.
Daffy_Duck
I'm curious, to those poep0le who object to the bombs, I ask, what would be your alternative?