Bombing of Hiroshima

[Jhopesstrawberry]

I know this is a sensitive topic. We just covered the bombings of Japan, but I have a big question and want to see the Japanese view on it. What did the Japanese think of their government when they made the decision to not surrender after the first bombing of Hiroshima? And is it true that leaflets were dropped on the Japanese cities? Did anyone see them? Just wondering. Did America really give a chance for surrender? What is your view?

 

[mdchachi]

There's quite a long thread on this topic here if you care to read through it.

Was Hiroshima Necessary?

NOTE: This is a touchy subject, so please be respectful. I believe it was not at all necessary, I will state my main points. Please bring up any flaws you see, and debate! 1. Japan was already in a state of defeat. Their military was defeated to a whim, as was their air force and navy. They...

jref.com

However first I suggest reading this. I bet it's a lot more in depth and makes more sense than what your American teachers or textbook taught you.

The Bomb Didn’t Beat Japan … Stalin Did

Have decades of nuclear policy been based on a lie?

getpocket.com

 

[Buntaro]

The main reason Japan surrendered when it did was not because of the atom bomb, but because they thought the Americans would spare the life of the Japanese Emperor, whereas the Japanese were (correctly ) convinced the rapidly approaching Russian Communist Army would quickly hang Hirohito.

 

[Uncle Frank]

I spent 3 or 4 days in Nagasaki. It struck me that the city seems to be in a giant bowl formed by the hills/mountains around it which made the effects of the blast stronger. The museum there was something to see.

 

[Lothor]

The main reason Japan surrendered when it did was not because of the atom bomb, but because they thought the Americans would spare the life of the Japanese Emperor, whereas the Japanese were (correctly ) convinced the rapidly approaching Russian Communist Army would quickly hang Hirohito.

mdchachi - Fascinating article! Never heard that very persuasive view before.

Buntaro - I hope I'm not being too pedantic here, but I would have taken out (correctly). You can't make a judgment on correctness on predicting an event that never actually happened!

 

[Buntaro]

I disagree. The Japanese assumed that, if the Russians had got to Tokyo first, they would have strung Hirohito up by the end of a rope, and that is exactly what would have happened. So their assumption was correct.

 

[Majestic]

Well, unfortunately none of this is giving Jhopesstrawberry a view inside the mind of the average Japanese person. I think it may be safe to say that the views in Japan are as varied as they are in the US - and the issue is probably so sensitive that you won't find our Japanese contributors to this site willing to weigh in on it in public.

Regarding the leaflets: there were two types. The "LeMay Leaflets" were dropped on major cities (including, apparently, Hiroshima) before August 6th. The second type of leaflets were dropped after the atomic bombing.

Warning Leaflets - Nuclear Museum

In August 1945, warning leaflets were dropped on several Japanese cities.

www.atomicheritage.org

Regarding the "chance for surrender", of course Japan could have surrendered at any point in the war. Japan wanted to hang on to territories that they had held from before the war (Manchuria, Korea, and Taiwan, I think - anyway, its all information available on the internet) and they wanted to ensure the safety and dignity of the emperor. The US wasn't having it. The US said basically "surrender first, then we'll talk about the details". This is the famous (or infamous) "Unconditional Surrender" that the US was insisting on. Germany had surrendered unconditionally in May, and the US wasn't interested in anything less from Japan. At the end of July in 1945, the US said that Japan should surrender unconditionally, or else the entire country would be bombed flat. This is the gist of the Potsdam Declaration.

 

[Jhopesstrawberry]

Well, unfortunately none of this is giving Jhopesstrawberry a view inside the mind of the average Japanese person. I think it may be safe to say that the views in Japan are as varied as they are in the US - and the issue is probably so sensitive that you won't find our Japanese contributors to this site willing to weigh in on it in public.

Regarding the leaflets: there were two types. The "LeMay Leaflets" were dropped on major cities (including, apparently, Hiroshima) before August 6th. The second type of leaflets were dropped after the atomic bombing.

Warning Leaflets - Nuclear Museum

In August 1945, warning leaflets were dropped on several Japanese cities.

www.atomicheritage.org

Regarding the "chance for surrender", of course Japan could have surrendered at any point in the war. Japan wanted to hang on to territories that they had held from before the war (Manchuria, Korea, and Taiwan, I think - anyway, its all information available on the internet) and they wanted to ensure the safety and dignity of the emperor. The US wasn't having it. The US said basically "surrender first, then we'll talk about the details". This is the famous (or infamous) "Unconditional Surrender" that the US was insisting on. Germany had surrendered unconditionally in May, and the US wasn't interested in anything less from Japan. At the end of July in 1945, the US said that Japan should surrender unconditionally, or else the entire country would be bombed flat. This is the gist of the Potsdam Declaration.

People are saying the leaflets weren’t dropped until after the bombing, so I guess that’s why many people didn’t evacuate? I still can’t believe how much the story has changed after reading that first article. I feel really bad for the people.

 

[Majestic]

Well - let me split this in two:

1. Did the US drop some generic leaflets on Japan? The answer is a definite YES. The LeMay Leaflets were dropped all over Japan before August, but they weren't a specific atomic bomb warning. They weren't intended just for Hiroshima. They were kind of an intimidation, or "scare" tactic. Anyway, they were a real thing - just not a particularly humanitarian thing, and not a specific warning to Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

2. Did the US give a specific warning about the atomic bomb to Japan so that civilians could evacuate? No, not at all.

Sad but true.

 

[Jhopesstrawberry]

Makes me wonder how heartless that government really was. How heartless the war was in general. How they go to sleep at night😭

 

[mdchachi]

Makes me wonder how heartless that government really was. How heartless the war was in general. How they go to sleep at night😭

It's easy when you treat the enemy as less than human. It happens to this day as we classify some people as "Other" even in our own society. It seems to be endemic to the human condition.

 

[Uncle Frank]

During the war and after our government and Hollywood pumped out tons of different propaganda designed to make people hate the Japanese and to think of them as sub-human. When I was at Boy Scout camp one summer , about 10 of the older male counselors who had fought against the Japanese talked about their hate for the Japanese and boy was it strong. I can remember watching WWII movies about the Japanese and by the end of the movie , you wanted them all dead. When I wrote home about marrying my Japanese girlfriend , my father told me if I did , don't bother coming home.

 

[Jhopesstrawberry]

During the war and after our government and Hollywood pumped out tons of different propaganda designed to make people hate the Japanese and to think of them as sub-human. When I was at Boy Scout camp one summer , about 10 of the older male counselors who had fought against the Japanese talked about their hate for the Japanese and boy was it strong. I can remember watching WWII movies about the Japanese and by the end of the movie , you wanted them all dead. When I wrote home about marrying my Japanese girlfriend , my father told me if I did , don't bother coming home. View attachment 83659 View attachment 83660 View attachment 83661

I saw some of these propagandas in the textbooks but not as bad As these pictures. Way to go America🙄 but that was the way to make money and send more people to the war I guess.

 

[Lothor]

I saw some of these propagandas in the textbooks but not as bad As these pictures. Way to go America🙄 but that was the way to make money and send more people to the war I guess

I'm not sure about the money aspect, but a common theme of war is the dehumanisation of the enemy, which makes it psychologically easier for soldiers to kill them. Unfortunately it happens a lot in peace too: some of the Japanese far right have referred to Koreans as cockroaches, and watch out for the use of verbs normally applied to animals, e.g., the former UK Prime Minister David Cameron referred to 'swarms' of immigrants crossing the Mediterranean.