What are current thoughts regarding the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Question

just curious to know what different people nave to say.

Answer 1

Never should have happened.

While I find little excuse to wipe our a non-military city of Hiroshima, I can find NO excuse in dropping the 2nd one!

I know. It saved troops....at the expense of women and children, many taking years to die of nuclear poisoning!

Answer 2

I think we should have bombed and kept bombing until the Japanese saw that their only hope for survival was unconditional surrender. The bombing saved countless lives on both sides that would have been lost in an invasion. The Japanese hadn't surrendered in any of the battles leading up to the bombing. They forced us to kill or capture them to the last man. They either won their battles or died trying. There was no reason to believe that they were going to surrender their homeland without some kind of devastating attack so we had little choice but to give them one. We did and they saw the writing on the wall. Lose face or lose their race forever. They made the right choice for themselves and their posterity. Even at that I'm not sure they have changed their ultimate goal, just their tactics.

For those of you who don't think we should have killed civilians - You're wrong. The fact is when you are fighting a war with another country the civilian population is supporting and supplying the war effort. There is no such thing as a noncombatant in a total war. We fire bombed a lot of cities in Germany and the Germans did a lot of bombing in British cities. They and the Japanese also enslaved the civilians in the countries they conquered and forced many of them to join their military and fight or be in concentration camp. When you have a civilian population supporting that they are as guilty as the ones in uniform. The Japanese also tried to bomb America. The attempts may have been feeble but that doesn't change the fact that they were trying to do it. If you do have a civilian population that is not fighting against you such as the French or peaceable or friendly factions of Iraq then you avoid civilian casualties. Otherwise they're fair game.

Answer 3

It was EXACTLY as it should have happened - I HATE war, and nukes, but here's the deal:

Their culture mandated sacrifice to the last person (NOT man), to Hirohito, who would not surrender. The only reason they surrendered at all was that they would not be able to fight back. Not only did we save our troops' lives, but the lives of SO MANY Japanese, who would have killed themselves off trying to kill us. It would have been a version of terrorism, in the end, with us occupying hostile land, and wondering who was going to shoot next. For decades it would draw out, and hate and cultural resentment would have won - even to this day.

I've seen the veterans of both sides meet and cry together. There is healing. Our youth is so against nukes (as am I, but not this far) that they are blind to the outcome. The ends can't always justify the means, but in this case, it's all we CAN do - since it already happened.

The alternative was two cultures fighting to the death, the allies winning, but at the cost of an advanced, beautiful people who would be no more.

Now, there is a culture in Japan where it is possible to grow, should they make good choices and have a fair break.

We need to make better choices to survive, as well.

Answer 4

It's funny how so many people decry the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but nobody says a word about the 100,000 or so that were killed in the fire-bombing of Tokyo. Does it matter that it was a different weapon?
The atom bombs saved the lives of several hundred thousand American soldiers. They were a necessary evil, just like the killing of civilians in Tokyo.

Answer 5

modern-day innovations are precisely what they have constantly been. The atomic bomb improve into neccessary to end the war. An invaison of Japan woud have fee untold numbers individuals deaths and in all danger greater deaths to jap civilains than the two bombs fairly did. jap soliders fought to the dying or killed themselves extremely than resign. jap civilains on Islands invaded via the US killed themselves extremely than resign to the individuals. Japan improve into faraway from some harmless sufferer. Ask the victims of the Rape of Nanking or the tens of 1000's of Chines they killed in retribution for some chinese language assisting the pilots of the Jimmy Dolittle raid. i could like to ask the adult males who died a slow terrible dying on the Arizona what their innovations could be on the bombing. the tale of Chi Chi Jima (Flyboys) tells of ways the jap ATE captured US Pilots, %. via %., retaining the pilots alive so the beef could stay brisker! the jap have been given what they deserved. The the place warned earlier the bomb improve into dropped. resign. they did no longer. They refused to offer up after the 1st bomb! ultimately, after the 2d bomb, they found out they bit off greater suitable than they could chew. The chief of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Adm yamamoto, have been given it acceptable on Dec 7 whilst he pronounced "I concern all we've performed is to evoke a napping great and fill him with a poor come to a decision." The attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki additionally can't be considered from a renowned context. It improve into acceptable on the time.

Answer 6

it sucked for them but it was neccessary for us, and the rest of the world at that time. it also was bad that it started a global arms race that continues today..
but a land invasion of JAPAN in that era would have killed yours mine and half the people you knows grandpa, so you would not be here, nore would i or half the people you and I know, both in america and in japan.

but who knows maybe they could hae used some diplomacy, but i doublt it, japan was all high and mighty, they thought they could take over the world when it was at its weakest, so whatevers, the past is the past. I hope we or anyone never gets into the situation where it becomes feasable to use nuclear weapons again, but only time will tell

Answer 7

About the same as my current thoughts on the

Battle of Thermopylae.

It happened a long time ago during a war.

Answer 8

I guess those babies,and children that died in each of the nuclear explosions were supporting the war effort right rick ! Killing women and children is just wrong and there is no justification for any of it, no matter how hard you try to make one up!

Answer 9

Nil man. right now Iraq war is similar to vietnam war is what's going on. good enough, yes?

Answer 10

the same as in 45 glad its over