If you start apologizing, we have some apologies, too, that we should make, like on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and things. The Japanese people did wrong, but we did some wrong. War is war. Now,

I wish all the armchair warriors here and elsewhere on the net would read this and think about it.

The Japanese people did wrong, but we did some wrong.

What US did on Japan is not "did some wrong" That kind of mentality is the reason US keep invading other countries and their people don't care about it other than saying "did some wrong"

Let's cherry-pick our quotes, Jiji Press. The majority of Americans believe bombing Hiroshima was the right thing to do. The support rate among US service members is way, waayy higher.

Publishing quotes like this is highly misleading.

"What US did on Japan is not "did some wrong" That kind of mentality is the reason US keep invading other countries and their people don't care about it other than saying "did some wrong"

Many US people hate the stupid meddling and invasions of other countries as do people from countries who get caught up in this ( like my own country - the UK ). Many others are also prepared to point out the atrocities and crimes their countries have been guilty of.

Narionalists tend not to have this capacity. They also tend to lump all people together and make idiotic blanket statements about what the people of a country think.

JeffLee

Why? Because it goes against what was drilled into you at school?

"Why? Because it goes against what was drilled into you at school?"

No, because it attempts to suggest something that is far from true.

In school, we covered various views, including "Hiroshima," by John Hersey, which was required reading. I had nothing "drilled into me" at school. I didn't go to a Japanese school.

But you don't like this particular Pearl Harbor survivor's opinion? The point I meant about school was that Americans are taught to believe that killing tens of thousands of people instantaneously (and the vast majority being civilians) by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was somehow the right thing to do. I'm glad there are some people in the US who know that such an attack is utterly indefensible and can never be justified no matter how much it is sugar coated.

"..... such an attack is utterly indefensible."

The bombings quickly brought to an end of the bloodiest war in modern history, and prevented a vast land invasion that would have killed many, many more people. It's defensible, alright.

To ignore the bomb's immense strategic role indicates a frighteningly grossly myopic view of history.

Wrong, Japan was on her last legs anyway. The bombs were unnecessary and most academics agree on this.

The bombs were unnecessary

That's impossible to know. It's a speculation. The most you can say with accuracy is that they may have been unnecessary.

We can only know what actually happened, not what may have happened.

JeffLee

The majority of Americans believe bombing Hiroshima was the right thing to do. The support rate among US service members is way, waayy higher.

True history is not majority of vote.

prevented a vast land invasion that would have killed many, many more people. It's defensible, alright.

This sentence shows you never read any memoirs of the people who lived at that time.

"We can only know what actually happened"

Here's one thing that happened: Japan ignoring the Postdam Declaration, issued two weeks before Hiroshima, calling on it to surrender. The American's waited for a response from Tokyo, but got none. This refusal to opt for peace triggered Truman's decision.

The Emperor's surrender speech was real, in which he says his decision to end the fighting was due directly to the threat posed by America's nuclear weapons.

The detailed planning for a full scale invasion of Japan actually happened. Kyushu's invasion, Operation Olympic, was scheduled for November 1945, and Kanto's, Operation Coronet, in March 1946. These plans were cancelled after the bombs were dropped.

"This sentence shows you never read any memoirs of the people who lived at that time."

I've read plenty, but I've covered fairly researched history and documents, rather than "memoirs."

JeffLee: In school, we covered various views, including "Hiroshima," by John Hersey, which was required reading.

Was also required reading at my high school in USA in the 80's. Would have included a requirement to write a book report on it. The version of Hersey's book we used included photos of atomic bomb dead and injured.

serendipitous: I'm glad there are some people in the US who know that such an attack is utterly indefensible and can never be justified no matter how much it is sugar coated.

Something I don't believe I've ever seen answered is, after the 5-year terror bombing of civilian targets in Chongqing, and the 'Three Alls' scorched earth campaign in north China ( "kill all, burn all, loot all" policy, resulting in over 2.7M Chinese deaths according to a Japanese study) ... how can Japan complain about the use of atomic weapons on mixed military/civilian targets to prevent more firebombings of cities and a massive invasion operation?

Also, how can you say Japan was ready to surrender? Even after the Nagasaki bombing, the Cabinet was divided and the Emperor had to force the surrender. "The Cabinet was divided" even though they had information (false information, obtained through torture) that the USA had 100 atomic bombs ready to drop. They even had a coup attempt that tried to stop the Emperor's surrender broadcast from going out.

It's always the vets and those who have been through war that seem the wisest and most level-headed and most eager to avoid any repeat of war. The most frenzied nationalists today appear to be single grown men in their underpants hunched over their laptop in a darkened room. Very strange