The Nuking of Japan

[A Theist]

The Japanese were brutal fanatics. They showed that in the South Pacific, believing it was more honorable to die in battle rather than having to surrender. Surrender was abhorrent to them. The Japanese would even brutalize our troops for surrendering. Many of them lined up and volunteered to fly Kamikaze suicide missions into our ships and the re-taking of the Japanese occupied islands was no easy task either. There was no reason for our military planners to believe that there were any options available short of a mainland invasion or dropping the bombs which would end the war with Japan.

Although, I agree there was little alternative for Truman, this post is the problem with this side of the argument, The Japanese culture, was based around the idea of the righteous death, and looked down on those that did not live up to its precepts, and as such it had to be fought against, but we have a tendency to then say Japanese and there by place responsibility on all Japanese for what happened to them. I cannot say Truman was wrong, but I cannot blame babies for the culture that was to some extent imposed on them.

"....but we have a tendency to then say Japanese and there by place responsibility on all Japanese for what happened to them. I cannot say Truman was wrong, but I cannot blame babies for the culture that was to some extent imposed on them.".....I'm not saying that at all, that Japanese babies were to blame for the culture, or that all Japanese were responsible for what happened to them. I'm saying that given the way the Japanese fought throughout the war with their fanaticism of prefering to 'die the honorable death' to surrendering, our military planners saw no other options aside from the two mentioned, (dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki vs an invasion of the Japanese mainland) to bring the war to an end. It wasn't about punishing Japan. It was about ending the war with Japan. MacArthur's policy during its occupation was to show respect to the Japanese and he helped rebuild that country.