Apology to Japan for dropping the bomb? 416,800 reasons why not!
August 9th, 2010
Despite what some might say, we owe no apologies for dropping two atomic bombs on Japan. (National Archives)
Today marks the 65th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan – the second such devastating weapon used to end the bloodiest conflict in the history of human civilization. Despite what some Japanese think, and seemingly President Barack Obama as well, we owe no apology for our actions that brought about an end to the horrible conflict.
The United States did not join World War II by choice. In fact, we sat idly by while Japan raped and pillaged eastern Asia at will. We turned a blind eye to Adolf Hitler as he conquered most of Europe, killing millions in his mad attempt at establishing a new world order.
On December 7, 1941 we could no longer ignore the reality that the world needed saving and we were the only ones that could do it. With those first bombs that fell on Pearl Harbor that morning, a sleeping giant was awoken and we knew we would do what was needed to bring an end to the conflict.
We pushed Hitler out of France and western Europe and Hirohito out of the Pacific and back to his own territory. Despite the hopelessness of their situation, Japan stubbornly refused to surrender.
President Harry Truman refused to sacrifice any more of our sons, daughters, wives, husbands, and parents. He made the fateful – and necessary – decision to use atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This past weekend President Barack Obama sent ambassador John Roos to the official observation of the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima – the first time ever a U.S. delegation has attended the event. This was in keeping with the apology tour that the president embarked on since being sworn in two and a half years ago.
It was nothing less than disgraceful and an affront to those who served – and died – in response to an attack on our nation.
Hundreds of thousands died at Nagasaki and Hiroshima and that is a tragedy to be certain. It is however nothing which we need to apologize for.
Between the start and end of the war, the cost to our nation was beyond pale. 416,800 United States servicemen and women died in the four years between Pearl Harbor and the end of the war. All in a conflict that we did not start and in fact tried desperately to avoid.
Some have estimated that nearly 1 million Americans would have died in an assault on the Japanese homeland to end the war. That was and still is a price too heavy to bear. We instead ended the war with two decisive blows that saved lives – American lives.
When Japan asks for an apology or President Obama considers giving one, he should just be reminded of one number: 416,800.
Apologize to the most barbarous nation of the world? Their crimes to humanity far exceed the crimes of Nazi Germany:
• The rape of Nanking in which 300,000 civilians were killed and another 20,000 to 80,000 women were raped.
• Zhong Ma prison and Unit 731 where thousands of human victims called “maruta” were vivisected.
• Chichi-jima where POWs were cannibalized by Yoshio Tachibana and his officers.
• General Shiro Ishii and Dr. Masaji Kitano who conducted chemical, biological, and anatomical experimentation on live unsuspecting captives.
• Kyushu Imperial University in Fukuoka where Dr. Ishiyama Fukujiro, Dr. Hiroko Goichi, Tsutsui Shizuko, and others who in 1945 practiced vivisections on captured American flyers. Cannibalism also suspected.
• The Kempeitai soldiers who brutally raped and sexually tortured their captive “comfort women” by night and brutally tortured male captives by day.
• The 400,000 or more Chinese deaths in villages intentionally afflicted by clothing and food drops infected with cholera, anthrax, and the plague.
No, there is no need to apologize to the perpetrators of the most barbarous and inhumane “Doctors of Depravity” in history. Our bombs saved the lives of millions of Americans, Brits, Aussies, Russians, Chinese, Filipinos, Mongolians, Korean, and yes, even Japanese. In the words of their own Dr. Ishiyama Fukujiro, prior to committing suicide rather than facing his war crimes charges for his human experiments at Kyushu Imperial University, “I do not know how to apologize.” America should remember those words when they think of the hundreds of thousands who suffered and died as a result of Japanese crimes against humanity.
Our heartfelt thanks go to all who have served; and, especially, to those victimized by Japanese atrocities.
Ron at: http://sleeplessandtired.com
Thanks Ronald for that bit of knowledge everyone needs to remember about the Japs and those who stood against them. You should forward that bit on to Obama!
Although they did do some horrible things, Japan, as a whole nation, deserves an apology for all the innocent lives that were taken by the two nuclear bombs.
Alise no they don’t at all, the japanese killed 11 million civilians and soldiers and yes Ronald the crimes of the barbarous japanese far exceeds those of the Nazis.
I agree with fighting enemy soldiers, and what the Japanese soldiers did in China and all island people was wrong. My question is: Why didn’t America want to talk to Japan to solve the problems before the war started? And why don’t they (America) ever talk about the oil embargo that was put on Japan? America is quick to say to the world not to kill innocent people, and yet America dropped those 2 bombs and killing innocent people. I understand fighting and killing Japanese soldiers, that was a war. At least apoligize for killing innocent people. The people didn’t want to have a war, it was their leaders, so why punish the people? And what Japan did back then is exactly what America is doing today, with all the wars we start in the world, and get into others affairs
Is America so great that America can just step on anybody? Is that what America is about?
At least apoligize to the innocent, they had nothing to do with the war!
That is all the people of Japan wants. They know that their leaders in the
1930′s were wrong. Why is America punishing the innocent?