US Drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan to Put an Immediate End to the War - Research Paper Example

?US Drop the Atomic Bombs on Japan to put an Immediate End to the War Patrons of the nuclear bombings generally assert that they made the Japanese tostop further hostile activity therefore thwarting colossal damage (even bigger than the catastrophe of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) as well as fatalities on both sides. Japan was ready to die for victory, the national slogan in Japan at the time of nuclear bombing was; “One hundred million will die for the Emperor and Nation” (Jowett & Andrew, 2002). The emotions were not confined to slogans only; the Japanese military had already issued the order to execute all Allied prisoners if there was an invasion (Jowett & Andrew, 2002). Finally, Anami's debates were overpowered when Emperor Hirohito directly asked to end the war himself (Toland & John, 1982). People who slant the decision of nuclear bombings are well in numbers. Among them are numerous US military leaders as well as ex-president Herbert Hoover. And they move for the notion that the nuclear bombing was simply an addition to an already violent bombing campaign (Wilson, 2007).  The bombing campaign along with the sea blockade and the downfall of Germany (with its effects regarding relocation of troops), would also have brought Japanese administration to surrender, therefore proving that the atomic bombings were unnecessary from a strategic point of view. On the opposing side Kyoko Iriye Selden stated; "The most influential text is Truman's 1955 Memoirs, which states that the atomic bomb probably saved half a million US lives— anticipated casualties in an Allied invasion of Japan planned for November. Stimson subsequently talked of saving one million US casualties, and Churchill of saving one million American and half that number of British lives" (Selden, 1989). In one sentence, the US dropped the nuclear bombs on Japan to put an instant end to World War II. The USA was intending to conquer Japan to placate it. Iwo Jima and Okinawa in particular, were unfathomably blood-spattered skirmishes. Japan didn’t care for its own citizens' lives and intended to transform their whole island into a battle fort. It was assessed that fatalities would be 1 million Americans and 500,000 British in the just the first invasion. Some skeptics say that it was used it to scare USSR as well, but there is no denying that they overlooked the final warning on 27 July 1945 after suffering the worst regular bombs could do. Debate rests that ‘The Bomb’ actually saved Japanese and allied lives. The Allies asked for absolute capitulation of the Axis. The Allies, commanded by the United States, pushed back the Japanese expansion one island after another in the Pacific. When Guam was captured, the Allies had strong barracks from which they would start the assault. The assessment of American losses for an invasion of Japan was over 1 million US citizens and soldiers, or perhaps, over 2 million Americans. The United States dropped down two atom bombs to save US citizens and accelerate the end of the war. Before dropping the atomic bomb, Japan was given warnings to surrender or suffer dire penalties. But the government of Japan put aside the warnings. While the use of nuclear bomb was a tactical and warfare turning point in both the WWII and all future political actions, there were more people slain, mutilated, and incapacitated during the Tokyo firebombing campaigns than when the US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This act was done to lure Japan to submit without further hostile actions. And in fact Japan did surrender speedily therefore saving almost 100,000 American soldiers and possibly over 1,000,000 Japanese who would have perished if the US had waged a conventional attack on Japan. The Allies engaged atomic weaponries to hit Japan so that it won’t get up too soon. The Japanese were invading the US soil and that US had every right to defend itself. A fight-back from the US was inevitable. This argument can take any form and shape. For instance, if the US had been invading Japan, every Japanese would be fighting till death to defend their precious homeland. They would have dropped the atomic bomb on the US soil if it were the only thing to do to defend their homeland. Moreover, tensities were building up in Europe between Soviet Union and its western allies. Since the USSR had a crushing numeral transcendency there, a show of brute force was required to convince Stalin not to "misbehave". Moreover, the Russians were fixing up to invade Japan. These circumstances were at least as reasonable back then as saving the lives of American citizens. According to certain authors, Japan’s military might consisted of over 9 million troops. Battles of Guadacanal, Okinawa, Midway, Iwo Jima, and other skirmishes, rendered 1.5 million soldiers killed or wounded enough so they were unable to fight. It means that if Operation Olympic (the invasion of Japanese mainland) were to occur, the US would have to battle every troop she had already beaten, four times over. Even if the US hadn't dropped the atom bomb, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were already on the target list for attacks. The reasoning behind this is simple; Hiroshima was a big industrial city containing the 2nd Japanese Army Headquarters, which was commanding all defense machinery of Southern Japan. Plus, Hiroshima also had communication centers and facilities for troops, storage areas, and military gatherings. Small industrial plants were also in the city fringes. As far as Nagasaki is concerned, it was the major effusively operating sea-port of Southern Japan, which actually made ships, tools, and backup supplies. These were just the main points which are understandable by any person who has basic knowledge of world affairs. Other military reasons which probably are not available to everyone can be another huge chunk of reasoning or evidence as to why the use of atomic weapons was inevitable at that point in time. From a military point of view it sounds like a valid argument that the US was allegedly saving army resources and manpower. In Iwo Jima there were approximately 30,000 marines KIA (Stephan & Holmes, 2012). And it is a historical fact that the Japanese lost almost all of their troops there. Anyone can imagine what would have happened if the bomb had been dropped on a city with crowded places and jam packed homelands. Even if for a moment it is assumed that had the nuclear bomb not been dropped, there would have been even more deaths and the war would not have been confined only to some cities, the whole of Japan would have been engulfed in flames. After the incident of Pearl Harbor almost 13% of Americans voted that they want to kill every Japanese man and woman. Plus there were catchwords like, "kill japs, kill japs and kill more japs”. The Yanks went frantic for what happened at the Pearl Harbor and ruthless retaliation was the common motive. On August 10, 1945, the World War two ended but only after the uranium bomb known as the Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima and just after a day after the plutonium bomb known as the Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki. Roughly, 128,000 people died only due to the massive blow and detonations caused by the bombs, and almost 120,000 endured deadly radiations and cancerous fumes, many of whom died out subsequently (Stephan & Holmes, 2012). The question is, was it really essential to use the two nuclear bombs on Japan to make them cede? The answer probably is yes and it is not because of just one factor. For instance the Japanese culture at the time was much different than it is today. Celtic warriors known as Samurais are known for their valor and honor and they form a huge part of the Japanese history. More so, the samurai followed a ritual called ‘Bushido’ (the way of the warrior). It was an honor code which bounded the warriors to obey and defend their empire and the emperor. They were supposed to fight with honor and dignity and considered it their duty to lay their life for the country. Laying their life or committing suicide was known as ‘Seppuku’, it meant that if the Samurai was beaten in a fight, he/she was supposed to commit suicide by plunging a dagger into the liver inflicting a mortal wound. At the time of World War II Japan was at the brink of a conventional loss in the battle and this fact only made them more volatile. They were demanding death before surrender. If is obvious that not each and every Japanese was willing to commit Seppuku but a huge number of people were certainly ready for it. It doesn’t imply that the US helped them to perish it only means that they were not willing to surrender, they were willing to fight till death (Stephan & Holmes, 2012). At the time of World War II, every boy, girl, man woman above the age of 13 was in the battle to fight against the Americans. These people were following the code of Bushido, meaning that there is no surrender, only fight, glory or death with honor. Even after having two nuclear munitions dropped on them, many of the Japanese armed forces were disinclined to submit. The Emperor of Japan asked them to put down their weapons and submit but they refused to do so. It is in the history books that on the night when the Emperor was devising to cede, a military takeover was arranged. It was only the barest of concurrences that precluded this coup from barricading the surrender. At this, the American military machine had started abandoning the thought that Japan would surrender at all and made up their minds to bomb down the last supply of heating oil in the country with winters just around the corner. Even when there was an official surrender, many Japanese martial leaders chose to commit suicide than to surrender. Work Cited Jowett, Philip, and Stephen Andrew. The Japanese Army 1931-45 (2): 1942-45. Oxford: Osprey, 2002. Print. Selden, Kyoko Iriye, and Mark Selden. The Atomic Bomb: Voices from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1989. Print. Turnbull, Stephen, and Richard Holmes. "Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."Answers.com. Answers. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. Toland, John. The Rising Sun. The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire. Pub. by Random House, 1982. Print. Wilson, Ward. "The Winning Weapon? Rethinking Nuclear Weapons in Light of Hiroshima. “International Security 31.4 (2007): 162-79. Print. Read More