The debate of whether or not the atomic bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is justified still goes on today. There are those that believe that President Truman made the right choice and those who believe that other options were ignored. The U.S. air force dropped the atomic bombs hoping to intimidate the Japanese which resulted in the surrender of Japan to the Allies on September 2, 1945. Although Japan attacked Pearl Harbor first on December 7, 1941, the casualties were far less than the fatalities in Japan. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is not justified because there could have been another way to end the war than killing millions of Japanese civilians.
The decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki is justified to the US during …show more content…
The Japanese did not have enough time to surrender since the second bomb on Nagasaki happened only three days after the bombing in Hiroshima. These bombings targeted civilians who are innocent and not involved in the war. Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a survivor, was in both cities when the bombs dropped (The Washington Post). He was in Hiroshima on a business trip and suffered severe burns to his upper body after the bombing (ibid). Yamaguchi returned to Nagasaki, his hometown, and the second bombing occurred a few days later (ibid). He died at age 93 on the fourth of January due to stomach cancer(ibid). Yoshitaka, a thirteen year old student, was in class when he saw a pale flash and collapsed (Stevenson). When he regained conscious, his classmates that were stuck under the debris grabbed his ankles asking for help as he tried to escape the building (ibid). Not knowing about the radiation, he went to the river near the school to get drinking water (ibid). People at the time did not know that radiation poisoning from the bombs made the cities unsafe to live in. Some survivors developed illnesses from radiation exposure, including cancer, liver problems, and genetic damage in future generations (Kimura, …show more content…
had time to reflect on whether or not the decision made to bomb Japan was justified. Americans during the time of the war thought it was necessary. Now, they believe there could have been another solution and that nuclear weapons should not be used indiscriminately again. President Barack Obama neither apologized nor justified the attack when he mourned the victims of the atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park but, instead, focused on a non-nuclear future (Lee, Carol E., and Alexander Martin). The victims of Hiroshima said that it took courage for Obama to visit because there are still many people who are suffering (ibid). Shigeaki Mori, a survivor, said, “I suffered so much, so today was the best day that was given by America” (ibid). The United States wanted to prevent such a tragedy from happening again by limiting nuclear weapons and avoiding another nuclear war with the Prevention of Nuclear War
The decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki is justified to the US during …show more content…
The Japanese did not have enough time to surrender since the second bomb on Nagasaki happened only three days after the bombing in Hiroshima. These bombings targeted civilians who are innocent and not involved in the war. Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a survivor, was in both cities when the bombs dropped (The Washington Post). He was in Hiroshima on a business trip and suffered severe burns to his upper body after the bombing (ibid). Yamaguchi returned to Nagasaki, his hometown, and the second bombing occurred a few days later (ibid). He died at age 93 on the fourth of January due to stomach cancer(ibid). Yoshitaka, a thirteen year old student, was in class when he saw a pale flash and collapsed (Stevenson). When he regained conscious, his classmates that were stuck under the debris grabbed his ankles asking for help as he tried to escape the building (ibid). Not knowing about the radiation, he went to the river near the school to get drinking water (ibid). People at the time did not know that radiation poisoning from the bombs made the cities unsafe to live in. Some survivors developed illnesses from radiation exposure, including cancer, liver problems, and genetic damage in future generations (Kimura, …show more content…
had time to reflect on whether or not the decision made to bomb Japan was justified. Americans during the time of the war thought it was necessary. Now, they believe there could have been another solution and that nuclear weapons should not be used indiscriminately again. President Barack Obama neither apologized nor justified the attack when he mourned the victims of the atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park but, instead, focused on a non-nuclear future (Lee, Carol E., and Alexander Martin). The victims of Hiroshima said that it took courage for Obama to visit because there are still many people who are suffering (ibid). Shigeaki Mori, a survivor, said, “I suffered so much, so today was the best day that was given by America” (ibid). The United States wanted to prevent such a tragedy from happening again by limiting nuclear weapons and avoiding another nuclear war with the Prevention of Nuclear War