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Originally Posted by bELyVIS
I saw an interview with a old lady who was a child when the Americans landed there. She talked about the same thing, that they were told the Americans would hurt the survivors. She said just the opposite happened. The Americans were very kind and fed them and gave the kids candy. She still is angry with the Japanese soldiers who told them that and she really loves Americans.
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The interesting thing is that I learned all of this in Japan, not in America. You think I would have, as this is definitely a part of the end of the war that Americans can be proud of.
I first learned of this in the Japan Times. Following that, I found out that Kyoto is pretty darn liberal and peace-loving, and my students go to Okinawa each year to visit the beaches and reflect on what the Japanese people did to the Okinawan people. The most amazing part is how the students come back recognising this as well. I've spoken to a few after the trips each year, and they tend to agree with the Okinawans. It is interesting how they can manage to discuss the issue with an American at all.
Finally, I learned a lot about it because the Hiroshima Peace Memorial is really, really balanced. It doesn't have too great a bias in any direction. It talks about Okinawa and how as horrible as nuclear bombs were, there was a sense that America was able to point to the actions of Japanese commanders in Okinawa and say, "Look, look. If we invade the country by traditional means, we won't be able to stop the fighting until we've killed a large portion of the population." While America certainly had ulterior motives like scaring the Soviet Union in their own backyard to prevent the spread of communism, it is true that the "Death with Honor" strategy meant that America certainly could claim justification when it said that the body count of a traditional invasion would simply be too high.
In the past few years Japan has done a lot of self-reflection, and I think the younger generation realises that Japanese history is a lot more complex than the older generations would some times like to believe. I see progress, and it can only help make the world a more peaceful place.