Nearing the end of the second World War, faced with the issue of Japan’s refusal to surrender and cease fighting, President Harry Truman ordered for the use of atomic bombs, and on August 6 and 9 of 1945, two nuclear weapons were detonated over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombs killed at least 129,000 people, a majority of them civilians. Since then, there has been much controversy concerning the ethical and military justifications of the bombings, with many defending the United States’ decision by claiming the bomb prevented further military casualties and that Japan was given sufficient warning to surrender before the bombs were dropped. However, when one considers the helpless situation the Japanese were in at
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justifications of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were by no means rational. The decision to deploy the two bombs was made with little acknowledgment of the thousands of Japanese civilians that would inevitably die as a result. Shortly after the bombs were dropped, Japanese Emperor Hirohito broadcast a speech announcing the nation’s unconditional surrender, and in it, refers to the nuclear weapons as, “a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable…”. The sheer number of civilian deaths and infrastructural damage caused by the bombs was enough to make Japan, a country that was known for its “do-or-die” military style, to ultimately surrender the war. Also, at the time the bombs were dropped, Japan was already in such critical situation that it was apparent they would not be able to keep fighting and would eventually surrender. By 1945, the Japanese Imperial Navy and air force were on the verge of collapse and by July, American warplanes had destroyed nearly a quarter of all the houses in Japan (“Was Hiroshima necessary?”). Because the United States was aware of the suffering the Japanese were going through, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was overkill, and therefore, was …show more content…
President Truman ordered the bombings knowing they would help end the war as quickly as possible and prevent further U. S casualties. The war was taking an increasingly large toll on U.S. forces and by the time Truman was faced with the decision of whether to use the bombs or not, 416,800 U.S. soldiers had been lost (The National WWII Museum). Truman justified that the use of the atomic bombs was the quickest possible way to end the war. Also, Japanese officials were openly warned about the nuclear attacks and that the only way to prevent them was their surrender. On July 26 of 1945, the United States issued the Potsdam Declaration, demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan, as well as warning them of, “prompt and utter destruction” if they refused the terms of the declaration. When Japan decided to ignore these demands and continue with the war, the United States saw no other option than to use the atomic bombs. However, one cannot lose sight of the fact that it was against Japan’s code of honor to surrender to the enemy and the government feared the people would lose respect for them if they did surrender. Also, it can be argued that although there were a significant number of U.S. casualties during the war, the intentional killing of 129,000 innocent civilians was extreme and the United States should not have targeted densely populated
justifications of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were by no means rational. The decision to deploy the two bombs was made with little acknowledgment of the thousands of Japanese civilians that would inevitably die as a result. Shortly after the bombs were dropped, Japanese Emperor Hirohito broadcast a speech announcing the nation’s unconditional surrender, and in it, refers to the nuclear weapons as, “a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable…”. The sheer number of civilian deaths and infrastructural damage caused by the bombs was enough to make Japan, a country that was known for its “do-or-die” military style, to ultimately surrender the war. Also, at the time the bombs were dropped, Japan was already in such critical situation that it was apparent they would not be able to keep fighting and would eventually surrender. By 1945, the Japanese Imperial Navy and air force were on the verge of collapse and by July, American warplanes had destroyed nearly a quarter of all the houses in Japan (“Was Hiroshima necessary?”). Because the United States was aware of the suffering the Japanese were going through, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was overkill, and therefore, was …show more content…
President Truman ordered the bombings knowing they would help end the war as quickly as possible and prevent further U. S casualties. The war was taking an increasingly large toll on U.S. forces and by the time Truman was faced with the decision of whether to use the bombs or not, 416,800 U.S. soldiers had been lost (The National WWII Museum). Truman justified that the use of the atomic bombs was the quickest possible way to end the war. Also, Japanese officials were openly warned about the nuclear attacks and that the only way to prevent them was their surrender. On July 26 of 1945, the United States issued the Potsdam Declaration, demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan, as well as warning them of, “prompt and utter destruction” if they refused the terms of the declaration. When Japan decided to ignore these demands and continue with the war, the United States saw no other option than to use the atomic bombs. However, one cannot lose sight of the fact that it was against Japan’s code of honor to surrender to the enemy and the government feared the people would lose respect for them if they did surrender. Also, it can be argued that although there were a significant number of U.S. casualties during the war, the intentional killing of 129,000 innocent civilians was extreme and the United States should not have targeted densely populated