Comments on: Japan’s Defense Minister: US Atomic Bombing “Couldn’t Be Helped”

By: [GI Korea] Japan's Defense Minister: US Atomic Bombing "Couldn't Be Helped" - USFK Forums

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 07:57:13 +0000

[...] [GI Korea] Japan’s Defense Minister: US Atomic Bombing "Couldn’t Be Helped" Published: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 07:31:19 +0000 This is some surprising news coming out of Japan concerning an issue from World War II that doesn’t involve comfort women for a change: Japan’s defense minister said Saturday that the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States during World War II was an inevitable way to end the war, drawing [...] Read More… [...]

By: OneFreeKorea » OFK Archive: Anti-Americanism in Korea–The Statistical Record

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:52:49 +0000

[...] Japan’s Defense Minister: US Atomic Bombing “Couldn’t Be Helped” [...]

By: Haksaeng

Haksaeng — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 01:48:30 +0000

Emperor Hirohito surrendered when he did because he wanted to remain emperor after the war. He forced the military committee to accept his decision to surrender. Ultimately, Hirohito was afraid of a popular revolt that would dethrone him and he knew he had a better chance of staying in power if he surrendered.

The best book available on the subject is “Downfall” by Richard Frank. He draws on Emperor Hirohito’s daily diary for information, along with a number of other primary Japanese sources.

By: Baltimoron

Baltimoron — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 23:30:57 +0000

I see no reason to single out this one particular official when his argument is basically the orthodox one. Perhaps his statement was rhetorically poor, but it’s what Americans have come to believe based on what the Truman administration presented to the public.

However, American intelligence knew of considerable division in the Imperial government for surrender. Numerous US military officials, including Eisenhower and MacArthur, expressed reservations. It is believed that an offer to allow Hirohito to remain as titular head of state would have convinced the Japanese to surrender. Reading those excerpts alone, I believe the decision to drop the bombs was unnecessary.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/index.htm

By: GI Korea

GI Korea — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:01:56 +0000

Thanks Haksaeng I misspoke, what I meant was that the article must have been mistranslated because the nuclear bombs did not stop the soviet from entering the war as the AP claims Kyuma said because they did in fact enter the war like you said on August 8th.

You can read more on my thoughts about this on my prior posting that is linked above.

CPT Kim,

Korea probably would have been unified under communism with the strong possibility of Hokkaido occupied by the Soviet Union. The Soviets would have had a much greater geo-strategic advantage in NE Asia and the Pacific. The economy in Korea today would not exist and the growth of Japan as a nation may have been vastly different if Japan had to compete with a North Japan and had to militarize a northern DMZ.

It is safe to say the Soviets probably would have installed a puppet North Japan dictator just like they did with Kim Il-sung. Would Japan have been able to achieve democracy and economic growth so quickly if they had to simultaneously defend the nation from North Japan? Could a Japanese Civil War have broken out like what happened in Korea? All possibilities that did not happen because Japan surrendered so quickly.

By: CPT KIM

CPT KIM — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:37:32 +0000

I wonder what it is like have Japan was cut in half and Korea was left as unified instead? Instead of 38th parrallel, where would the Superpower would draw the line in the middle of Honshu Island? Which side the Emporer Hirohito would be on? Would Korea would be all under Communist?

By: usinkorea

usinkorea — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 17:16:29 +0000

What was Russia’s war-making capability against the Soviets?

I would imagine they did not launch any really significant amphibious operations throughout the war, right…?

The US and other Allies had worked it out and geared their manufacturing base for such operations.

Could the Soviets have realistically moved against Japanese territory with land forces?

I mean, considering what the US was expecting to lose if it moved against the Japanese main islands, what would Russia have faced in the northern area? How soon would they have run into that stiff of Japanese resistance, and did they have the tools necessary to win?

By: Haksaeng

Haksaeng — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:19:48 +0000

“I think the AP mistranslated what Kyuma said because when the bombs were dropped on Japan, Russia had already entered the war.”

The Soviet Union didn’t declare war on Japan until after the first atomic bomb was dropped. The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and on Nagasaki on 9 August. The Soviet Union declared war on 8 August.