Was It Necessary to Nuke Japan
On April 30, 1945, in Europe, World War II was in its final days. The Soviets had entered Berlin, and a paranoid Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his bunker. Nazi Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, at Reims, France, and again on May 8, 1945, in Berlin, marking the end of the war in Europe.
In Asia, Japan was still fighting against the Allies, mainly the USA, despite being on the brink of defeat. The US and allies, tired of war, wanted Japan to surrender unconditionally. On August 6, 1945, the world's first nuclear bomb, named "little boy", was dropped on Hiroshima. Japan still refused to surrender. Therefore, on August 9, 1945, another bomb, named "fat man", was dropped on Nagasaki, prompting the surrender of Japan and marking the complete end of the war. 140,000 and 74,000 people died in these bombings respectively. This, however, raises ethical concerns. Was it really required? Were they necessary evils?
Imperial Japan
Imagine the city of Tokyo today: beautiful people, magnificent cities, kawaii anime posters written in Japanese everywhere. But today's Japan is in stark contrast with the older times. Japan was once a brutal imperialist power with a dream of a united Asia under Japanese control. They wanted to be seen as equals with Western powers. The Japanese emperor, Michinomiya Hirohito, ruled under the Meiji Constitution, from December 25, 1945 until his death in January 7, 1989, in which he was a symbol of the state while real power rested with the military and bureaucrats.
The Reign of Hirohito
Despite being a symbol of state power, war actions were carried out under his name as the supreme commander of Japanese forces. His reign was marked with atrocities and brutalities against Japanese citizens and colonized regions. Many historians argue he was directly involved. But his name is often not mentioned while discussing crimes against humanity due to his constitutionally limited power. Some accounts suggest he was actually pro peace but succumbed to increasing militarization. That is a matter of debate, though his complicity cannot be denied.
Japan's Crimes Against Humanity
The brutality by Japanese forces was so intense that I cannot write everything in detail here. The crimes were so intense that even Nazis like John Rabe assisted the victims in China.
Chinese victims:
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September 18, 1931: Japan staged the Mukden Incident, an explosion on the South Manchurian Railway, and the invasion of Chinese Manchuria began. By February 1932, the entire region of Manchuria was occupied. Manchukuo, a puppet state, was established.
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February 1933: The League of Nations condemned Japan's actions in the Lytton Report and voted for Japan to withdraw, but Japan walked out of the League in response.
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July 7, 1937: Japanese forces invaded China once again following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which was probably staged once again. The Second Sino-Japanese War began.
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December 13, 1937: Japanese troops entered the city of Nanjing in China and murdered between 100,000 to 300,000 Chinese. Women and men were victims of brutal sexual violence and rape. Not even children and babies were spared. They were often murdered with bayonets and other torturous methods. The extreme violence continued till January or February 1938. Even today, December 13 is a national memorial day for the victims of Nanjing.
Comfort women:
Japanese forces from occupied territories kidnapped women and girls in broad daylight, sometimes in front of entire villages who watched helplessly. Victims came mainly from the Korean peninsula, China and other occupied Southeast Asian territories. These women were used for sexual "comfort" of the male soldiers. Basically, sexual slavery was practiced by the Imperial Japanese forces. Rape of women is unfortunately not uncommon in wars even today, but all this happened on a dangerously systematic basis against the vulnerable.
Unit 731:
The headquarters of Unit 731 were in the Pingfang district of Harbin, Northeast China. Other networks included:
- Unit 100 in Manchuria, a parallel animal and veterinary unit
- Unit Ei 1644 in Nanjing, China
- Unit 1855 in Beijing, China
- Unit 8604 in Guangzhou, China
- Unit 9420 in Singapore, Malaya, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and Burma
These centers conducted horrific experiments against prisoners of war and civilians from occupied territories. Surgeries were performed without anesthesia. Pathogen exposure experiments were conducted, especially against pregnant women who were often forcefully impregnated (basically raped), just to observe the effects of disease via vivisection. Extreme condition testing included freezing arms were performed, along with gas chambers and explosive testing. These experiments were purely sadistic, showcasing how brutal a person can be just to assert dominance. There are no reported survivors of Unit 731 as the Japanese forces killed everyone in the last days of the war. This information is available because, after the Japanese surrender, the data was shared with the USA for "research" purposes.
Role of USA
Initially, the USA was reluctant to directly join the war due to World War I losses, but they were critical of Japanese aggression in China. In an attempt to make Japan stop, on August 1, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt imposed a full embargo on oil and other vital minerals to Japan. These resources were necessary for Japan to continue the war, and Japan itself was deficient in these resources. So Japan should surrender, right? Well, of course not. Instead, they came up with one of the dumbest ideas.
Southeast Asia was an oil and mineral rich region and a potential invasion point, but it was heavily colonized by Western powers, with the Philippines under US control. Attacking directly would be a war suicide. So on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor in a surprise attack to "weaken" the US Navy. They attacked Southeast Asia on December 8, 1941, eventually gobbling up large parts of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Brunei. Obviously, a powerful country like the USA would not be silent on an attack on its territory. The plan of the Japanese was inherently childish. Hence on December 8, 1941, the USA joined the war, opening a broader war theater in the Asia Pacific region.
Battle of Okinawa
On April 1, 1945, American forces invaded the Japanese island of Okinawa. The battle lasted till June 22, 1945, a total of 82 days, ending with US victory. But the battle was so intense, with constant suicide bombings by Japanese forces and complete reluctance to surrender, that it shocked the Americans. The reason was that the Japanese were highly brainwashed by their government who considered surrender the most dishonorable act, even worse than death. Hence, every man fought till his last breath. Further, the historical samurai culture and concept of Bushido (the way of the warrior), was deliberately misinterpreted. It went from "samurai should not be afraid of death" to "samurai should be ready to die for the emperor." This manipulation became deeply entangled with the military as a result, serving as a driver for widespread atrocities.
Considering all this, if the war continued, US military leaders believed that they would triumph but predicted a million Allied casualties. On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt passed away and was followed by Harry Truman's Presidency in office. On April 25, he got to know about the secret Manhattan Project, wherein a nuclear bomb was being developed under Oppenheimer. Truman believed it could be used to force an unconditional surrender from Japan, considering the loss of a few hundred thousand lives acceptable over a million American lives. He issued an ambiguous final warning stating "prompt and utter destruction." The purpose was to create shock and use the element of surprise. Of course, the Japanese did not surrender. Nuclear bombs were dropped one by one on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forcing the official surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945.
Obsolete or Necessary Evil?
From an emotional perspective, many of you might deem the bombings really necessary and justified, considering the horrors of Japanese crimes. But there is an important distinction between an army and brainwashed people living under a dictatorship.
So maybe a necessary evil? Even Oppenheimer felt this way after the Hiroshima bombing, but after the Nagasaki bombing he deeply regretted. He, in his meeting with Truman, said, "Mr. President, I have blood on my hands." For you, here are some key insights to consider:
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After the bombings, survivors suffered permanent physical, and even psychological damage, with no functioning healthcare centers around. Acid rain followed. Permanent genetic mutations occurred. Although it was stated by the US that these biological effects were unknown at the time. Maybe true but that wasn't really going to stop them from using the bomb.
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The US had other options too. Instead of using the bomb in civilian areas, they could have used it on a military facility and threatened Japanese civilians to pressure their government to surrender. Not completely ethical either, but better than wiping out entire populations.
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Approximately 11 hours before the Nagasaki bombing, the USSR invaded Japan. The USA needed a little more patience. Japan was already on the brink of surrender. In fact, Japan tried to mediate peace secretly using the USSR.
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Gar Alperovitz, a historian, argued that the bombings had another motive: to show the Soviet Union what they could do as the Cold War had already begun between the Americans and the Soviets.
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If the bombings never happened and Japan surrendered using Soviet pressure, the nuclear arms race would never have begun. Thankfully, nuclear weapons have not been used after that, but you never know who comes to power in the future. Today, the USA, Russia, France, the UK, Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and China all have nuclear weapons. They are ticking time bombs with a very unpredictable timer, unless diffused quickly.
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Ethical question: Who gave Truman the right to decide that a few hundred thousand lives could be traded for a million American lives? Surely it has no answer.
Final Thoughts
Nevertheless, after the bombings, rebuilding began with tremendous assistance from the Japanese people. Visit these places today and they are unbelievably beautiful. It is hard to believe they were once turned into nuclear wastelands. Even after such defeat, Japan turned out to be a highly developed country with a vibrant economy and culture. And they are even dominating us... with cuteness!
However, this article would be incomplete without acknowledging the gendered dimension of these atrocities. Women bore disproportionate suffering in Imperial Japan's crimes: comfort women were systematically enslaved, pregnant women were used in horrific medical experiments, and women in Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered unique trauma from radiation, particularly affecting reproductive health and future generations. The decision to drop nuclear bombs killed thousands of women and children who had no say in their government's actions. War crimes and weapons of mass destruction always devastate women the most, yet their voices are rarely centered in discussions of military strategy and ethical warfare. The debate over whether the bombings were necessary often ignores this gendered reality. I hope Japan recognizes its World War II crimes and apologizes comprehensively, just like Germany does, particularly to the comfort women and their families who are still seeking justice today.
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