Hiroshima victims speaks about bomb on 65th anniversary

[Sangetsu]

Originally Posted by Ronin4hire

You dont know what you are talking about.

The Versailles treaty was TOO harsh on Germany and that is why they went about things differently after WW2.

Furthermore... how is this related to the atomic bomb?

Im not second guessing anything... The bombs were dropped and that is just a part of history now. When Japanese people remember the days... it is generally speaking NOT an anti-American day.

What pisses me off is when Americans feel they need to justify the act using history that is actually pretty wrong.

You posted an article which stated that the Allied demands of a unconditional surrender were unjustified. From the experiences learned in WW1, the Allies indeed thought it was, and in order to quickly force an unconditional surrender the bombs were dropped. The relationship is obvious.

No, the Treaty of Versailles was not harsh enough. Exactly how should a country which starts a war that kills millions be punished? With a slap on the wrist and a return to the way things were before the war started? Not only was the Treaty of Versailles not harsh enough, the provisions it did contain were never seriously enforced. A war-weary League of Nations ignored Germany as Germany rearmed under Hitler, and as a result the world had to endure a far worse war.

And it is not just Americans who feel dropping that the bombs was justified. If you look at the video that Dogsbody posted you'll see that quite a few Brits, Aussies, Dutch, and others in Asia feel the same way. These are people who's opinions count because they lived through the war and suffered it's hardships. And yes, there are even a number of Japanese who also feel the dropping of the bombs was justified. These people don't have an incorrect opinion about history because it isn't history to them, they experienced the war firsthand.

What pisses me off is that the Japan of nowadays rewrites history in an attempt to erase from memory the acts of barbarism which they committed during the war. More than 100,000 prisoners died during the building of the Burma/Thailand railroad, further hundreds of thousands died elsewhere in Asian, and this is aside from those who were killed outright when it was too inconvenient to take prisoners. Japan's Unit 731 is not mentioned in any Japanese textbook, yet this unit committed atrocities which made Himmler's concentration camp activities look tame. And of course the atrocities committed in Nanking and other places are downplayed or simply omitted. But the dropping of the bombs is well-covered, and in graphic detail.

It is not America's view of history which is mistaken.

[Ronin4hire]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

You posted an article which stated that the Allied demands of a unconditional surrender were unjustified. From the experiences learned in WW1, the Allies indeed thought it was, and in order to quickly force an unconditional surrender the bombs were dropped. The relationship is obvious.

What experiences were they exactly? Why do I get the feeling you are talking out of your ass?

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

No, the Treaty of Versailles was not harsh enough. Exactly how should a country which starts a war that kills millions be punished? With a slap on the wrist and a return to the way things were before the war started? Not only was the Treaty of Versailles not harsh enough, the provisions it did contain were never seriously enforced. A war-weary League of Nations ignored Germany as Germany rearmed under Hitler, and as a result the world had to endure a far worse war.

Wait... you think the Germans started WW1? I was taught that WW1 started via a series of circumstances which escalated into major powers being drawn into conflict with each other

Furthermore.... that the treaty was too harsh that is not up for debate with ANY reputable historian.

Maybe you are mistaking the treaty with the period of appeasement?

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

And it is not just Americans who feel dropping that the bombs was justified. If you look at the video that Dogsbody posted you'll see that quite a few Brits, Aussies, Dutch, and others in Asia feel the same way. These are people who's opinions count because they lived through the war and suffered it's hardships. And yes, there are even a number of Japanese who also feel the dropping of the bombs was justified. These people don't have an incorrect opinion about history because it isn't history to them, they experienced the war firsthand.

I suppose slavery and the like were justifiable too... you know... "because those were the times"

Give me a break. Im aware of the context of the war. I can understand why America did it. Is it justifiable? Hell no.

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

What pisses me off is that the Japan of nowadays rewrites history in an attempt to erase from memory the acts of barbarism which they committed during the war. More than 100,000 prisoners died during the building of the Burma/Thailand railroad, further hundreds of thousands died elsewhere in Asian, and this is aside from those who were killed outright when it was too inconvenient to take prisoners. Japan's Unit 731 is not mentioned in any Japanese textbook, yet this unit committed atrocities which made Himmler's concentration camp activities look tame. And of course the atrocities committed in Nanking and other places are downplayed or simply omitted. But the dropping of the bombs is well-covered, and in graphic detail.

It is not America's view of history which is mistaken.

Wrong on SO many levels

Here is a link to a thread I created earlier if you want to talk about this.

http://www.japanforum.com/forum/gene...roversy-2.html

PS- Im living and studying at a Japanese university and the history taught here in Japan is consistent with the history taught in my country (New Zealand)

How do I know? Im taking a history class which caters for students who are new to Japanese, I actually own a couple of high school textbooks as well as textbooks used by my teachers, plus Ive read a few WESTERN books on the issue since being here.

[dogsbody70]

yes but what Led up to that?

They weren't dropped without the necessity to halt the dreadful things that happened, It Had to stop.

[dogsbody70]

I would say that the important thing is that nobody uses such weapons again.

I fear that some time they Will-- but surely Japan is a warning to us all.

Japan cities had been fire bombed terribly-- but that did not stop the war.

Many civilians suffered and still suffer. So we need to take heed surely.

[Kabukilulu]

The Atomic bomb is indeed a dreadful weapon, and no one should ever have to experience it. However, I do believe people have learned their lesson from the first two explosions. Yet, rather than completely stopping the creation, more were made, perhaps out of fear or domination And now most of the world is in fear of potential consequences. All we can do is hope that a nuclear war does not occur. Because a nuclear war will mean all the death's in Hiroshima and Nagasaki will have no meaning, no significance.....

[dogsbody70]

well aren't they there as a deterrent? That was the impression I have had for these past years.

There is always the fear that some trigger happy fingers might just do something recklessly stupid.

I am sure much goes on that most of us are unaware of.

If we want to annihilate the human race and planet earth--?

[YukisUke]

Those bombs should never have been dropped at all. The lives of those people have been forever ruined because of the radiation. I can't even begin to describe how they must feel. To live through that and be able to tell the tale of that dark and dreadful day.

[willgoestocollege]

Has anyone been to Hiroshima?

[Ronin4hire]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

yes but what Led up to that?

They weren't dropped without the necessity to halt the dreadful things that happened, It Had to stop.

Have you been reading anything Ive posted? Or are you going to keep repeating yourself...

[Ronin4hire]

Originally Posted by willgoestocollege

Has anyone been to Hiroshima?

I havent yet.

Want to though...