Just as the American viewpoint is wrapped in nationalistically fueled bias, so too is the Japanese reaction to the bombs. Their deep sentiment of victimhood and loss clouds their ability to critically examine the events that led to the bombing, most notably their own atrocious action in the Pacific prior to and during the war.
While his extensive research has never been confirmed, according to Robert K. Wilcox, Japanese scientists were in the process of developing their own atomic bomb when they were hit with Little Boy and Fat Man in August 1945.
Again, this has not been proven, but whether it’s true or not it does raise the issue of what the Japanese would have done in the Americans’ shoes? As Wilcox suggests, their ruthlessness indicates that they almost assuredly would have used it, which runs contrary to their identification as victims.
Japanese recollections of the bombs often ignore or gloss over their own aggressive role in the war and take the bombs out of the context of all-out war.
A survivor is critical of the American decision to use the bomb
While this reaction is understandable, the same could be said of the leaders of his own nation if he looked at the situation objectively.
Neither Japanese nor American views come close to being objective. Clearly they are both too close to the situation to provide an unbiased view of the events.
It seems that on one hand, the Americans use Japanese military decisions and the projected lives that would have been lost in an invasion to justify the bombs being dropped and refuse to look any deeper into the situation.
By the same token, Japanese memory looks at the American decision to use the bombs as the greatest evil and have difficulty when evaluating how they came to be dropped. To criticize American aggressiveness when they had their own brutal expansionist campaign underway in the Pacific is near-sighted and unfair.
In essence, each side has shown a willingness to explore the others atrocities while remaining largely uncritical of their own. Opportunities to engage in open discussion, such as Japan refusing to issue a public apology for their attack on Pearl Harbor and the controversial Smithsonian exhibit, have been missed and everyone loses as a result. No good can come from glorified nationalistic stances on this issue, but it seems likely that this sentiment will continue.
Leave a comment