During World War II, Japan was actively trying to develop the atomic bomb. Would they have used it?

Question

Why is Japan judged to be a victim country, when they simply came in second in an arms race?

Answer 1

In a heartbeat.

They used chemical weapons on China.
The Japanese soldier was trained to be relentless and that in war there would be no surrender, no quarter, and no second chance.

Plans existed for the invasion of Japan to kill all the American POWs before hand.

If the Japanese got the Atomic Bomb first in WW2 they would have used it on Los Angelus; the largest US city that they could reach. They would have used it on New York or Washington if they could have gotten an aircraft carrier that far.

In an attempt to harm the US the Japanese began a program of balloon deployed balloons. They would send a balloon aloft, into the Jet Stream to drop a bomb randomly on the US. Only one bomb every killed any Americans, and very few even reached the US, but the Japanese believed in all or nothing warfare back then.

Answer 2

No, absolutely not. The Government of Japan at the time, like Germany were trying to develop the bomb, but both Japan and Germany were well aware of the American reaction to such a bombing. The U.S. would have responded with unbridled fury unleashing on either Japan or Germany an air response without precident in world history. What was left of Germany or Japan would probably be a smoldering moon scape of burned out waste land.

Answer 3

Before America drop the bomb,
Japan privately came,
and asked for a truce and forgiveness,
since war is right,
America still dropped the first atom,
revenge is sweet,
for the loss of a magnificent pearl,
to prove our point,
that USA has the means,
war showed whats left,
with the second bomb Japan hit,
this is the rule,
that USA is no fool,
our intergalactic words,
speak about the planet,
examples that are under pressure,
while we smile,
step into a party,
and disrupt the scene,
we are known to do the walk,
instead we do the mock,
and shake hands like Mr. Spock,
we see the victim,
and it is us,
our rights to ourselves,
we deserve better,
we want more,
we have not healed,
everyone else cannot believe us,
yet we are so big they will need,
if not I expand and take over a place,
we are the victim.
And words spoken,
are actions not taken,
makes us re-live this event again,
what do you think.

Answer 4

Did they really? The US dropped the "BIG ONE" with a promise that they would not target civilians. But they did anyway. I imagine if Japan had done it first, they would have targeted civiians also.
Today,I imagine many countries are readying for the time when they are attacked. Pre-emptive they call it.
Can't much blame them.
The following answerer is totally incorrect. Japan was indeed readying to surrender.
Check history. NOT reivisionist.
We wonder why kids don't know anything about history. Older people don't know either.
Tsk tsk
sad.
The second one on Nagasaki was for the same reason the US dropped 500-pound bombs on Iraq.
To see if they would work. Target practice.
You see, the younger people do more digging for truth than oldsters.

Answer 5

With what limited articles I've seen on the subject, the Japanese were further behind the Germans in the process, and in even less of a position to create the massive infrastructure needed to refine the uranium needed to make bombs. This they learned from the German research.

Stories are also told of the transfer of limited amounts of atomic materials and heavy water via German U-Boat shipments to Japan. But these missions were too few and far too little to be of any meaningful help at the late date they occurred.

Answer 6

They were not actively seeking the A-bomb. The Germans were close to it. Either one would have used it, had they developed it first.
See the Bataan Death March or the Medical Experimentation on American GIs. Look at what the Japs did in China when they invaded it. Have you ever heard of the "Pleasure Girls" from Asian countries that the Japs pressed into service?There were no morals at the time. Same with the Nazis, look at the blitzkrieg launched on the rest of Europe, especially the use of the V-bombs in England.

Answer 7

They weren't trying to develop an atomic bomb, and they are not viewed as a victim country. They started a war with us, and we finished it. And as for the guy who answered that they were trying to surrender, they weren't. That's why we dropped the second Bomb on Nagasaki. It's not like we thought that the first one maybe didn't explode.

Answer 8

The death toll from the two atomic bombs we dropped on Japan was around two hundred thousand. If Japan had developed their own nuclear program then there would have been millions dead around the world. They would have used it on the US, Russia, China, the Phillipines and who knows who else. Germany would have done the same with their own nuclear program. As far as the victim defense, look at it this way. A hostile husband keeps beating his wife until she found a bigger weapon and used it on the bully and stopped him once and for all. You tell me who the victim is.

Answer 9

there is no doubt in my mind that if japan had nuclear weapons, they would not have hesitated to use them. Their beliefs are unique in that they believed that it was a great honor to have died in battle. To have given your life for your country was held in the highest esteem.
On the other hand, US and allied soldiers were held as slaves for forced into labor by a company we know today as the Matsushita corporation. (Sony)
Then again, atrocities are not exclusive to other countries. I have seen what we are capable of as well.

Answer 10

Jaqan was incredibly brutal during WWII. Their atrocities in China and southeast Asia rival those of Hitler in Europe. So yes, Japan would have used an A-Bomb if they had beaten the U.S. to it. They wouldn't have batted an eye.