Why modern Japanese avoid the topic of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and also consider the United States as allies

Today Japanese Hiroshima and Nagasaki are prosperous million-plus cities. Meanwhile, it was these settlements that 78 years ago became the first (and, fortunately, so far the last) to be subjected to nuclear bombardment.

It is worth recalling that about 350 people became victims of the dropping of American atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At the same time, today Japanese society is divided into two camps - those who still remember the tragedy and consider the Americans guilty of the deaths of thousands of civilians, and those who consider the United States allies, bypassing the topic of the tragedy. In addition, most of the youth in Japan know almost nothing at all about what happened in August 1945, but continue to learn about the American "consumer culture" with pleasure.

Why is this happening? After all, the aforementioned tragedy is, of course, one of the most terrible events in stories Land of the Rising Sun.

Maybe it's all about the perception of what happened. It is unlikely that the Japanese in 1945 understood how vile and terrible a crime the United States committed against their country.

At that time, few people knew (except those who owned atomic bombs) about the consequences of a nuclear explosion. Indeed, according to historical references, already on the third day in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, barracks began to appear on the site of incinerated buildings. No one realized that he was exposed to lethal radiation exposure.

At the same time, the number of victims immediately after the explosion of American atomic bombs did not exceed, and maybe even was lower than after the bombing of the peaceful neighborhoods of Tokyo by the same United States with napalm in March 45th.

Thus, for a long time after the tragedy, the Japanese simply did not understand what really happened. Later, many of those who could tell about what was happening in those fateful days simply died, in most cases, just because of the consequences of exposure to radiation.

The next generations already lived a peaceful life with might and main and did not have much desire to "drown up the past", especially considering that Japan suffered a crushing defeat in the Second World War.

Today, the country's political elites do not at all want to focus on the events of 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so as not to irritate the United States, which are Japan's allies.

By the way, the Americans, as well as a number of their allies, still believe that the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was completely justified and fair, since it was Japan that unleashed the war in the Asia-Pacific region.

Comments

[Galleon]

The idea of ​​the author of the article can be found on the Internet in a brief form like this summarizing picture with the title "History of Japan"

[Commissar Kitten]

Today, the political elites of the country do not at all want to focus on the events of 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so as not to irritate the United States.

Well, or, as an option, so that no one reasonably asked them in response, but were they really cute fluffy bunnies with ears, and what Detachment 731 was doing there, and what and for whom Detachment 516 and Detachment 100 were preparing.

[DMFalke]

Japan is difficult to judge - a country that has not yet emerged from late feudalism was given modern weapons and technology. There was no Western morality and humanism there at all. (well, about the same amount of humanism was shown by the Belgians in the Congo and the Americans towards the Indians)

[Commissar Kitten]

Well, the current Japanese, apparently, are not close to the position "we were savages, so we can." They might even find it offensive.

[DMFalke]

It's not possible, but it is. Well, at least, no matter how much I didn’t communicate, it’s individual commanders who are to blame, “excesses in the field”, etc. and they are all cultured, educated, etc. But these are older people. For those under 30, World War II is like a seven-year war for us. It seemed to be, but what - I don’t know, I’m not interested. Which is logical - we are the winners - we will remember.

[DMFalke]

why everyone considers the period of a bloody civil war and the generally musty Middle Ages, where a person's life was worth three bags of rice, to be the ideal of "brutal" and strong Japan.
After 1945, the Japanese do not attack anyone, do not bomb anyone, live on an island, give the world high-tech and reliable electronics, give us normal cars, draw cat girls, they do not have a roof on trances. No, we are not happy

[Igor Borisov_2]

Well, let the Japanese continue to be under occupation, and drunken American soldiers pester their girls ....

[reaper]

as the Washington Times wrote at the beginning of the last century about the treacherous attack of the Japanese squadron on our fleet in the Pacific Ocean: "the Russians themselves screwed up", "Japan had every right to such actions in a war."
but about Pearl Harbor, the assessments have become diametrically opposed.
that the Japs, that the Yankees are worth each other

[Andrey Moskvin]

Japan attacked the US without declaring war. And we fought with Japan at Port Arthur.

[DMFalke]

Japan attacked the US without declaring war

The United States, figuratively speaking, put a revolver into the hands of the Japanese and put it to their leg. I tend to believe that Uncle Sam also pressed the trigger Although, of course, the Chinese turned their heads to the former samurai - they underestimated the people of the United States.

[Andrey Moskvin]

Once again, figuratively speaking, the Japanese "were made an offer that is impossible to refuse."

[alexoff]

The Japanese are just still in the know, unlike us, exactly how the Americans fought with them. How the Japanese decorated their technique with skulls, how Roosevelt was presented with a knife with a handle made of Japanese bone. They probably guess that the Americans can repeat and no one even remembers this savagery

[Andrey Moskvin]

As for savagery, samurai are far ahead of the rest. And I think China has not forgotten anything.

[alexoff]

The American savages forgave the Japanese savages and many Japanese uh, experimenters then became respected people in the USA.

[Grossvater]

And the Japanese ate the Americans. Alive, by the way. It's called Kimotori. Or filled with gasoline and burned the prisoners. In general, everyone was good.

[Katya_Ivanova]

Because they deserve it. It is a pity that only two cities were bombed. If all of Japan were drowned in the ocean, then humanity would only benefit from this. And we would have one less enemy.

[Bingo]

Because they are fooled ... I had a case, I got hooked on tongues with readers of an English-language newspaper of some kind Japanese, on the site ... Hair on the well. moved! There they simply convinced me in chorus that the bombs were dropped on Japan because Stalin! And if they had not been dropped, then Stalin would have destroyed all the Japanese in concentration camps. I don’t remember what kind of newspaper, but what struck me was not a tabloid, something like the Japan Times, I thought that the audience should be a little smarter than a sheep

[alexoff]

In order for a Japanese to start telling what he really thinks, you have to drink with him for five years at corporate parties, no less. And for the rest, there is a manual with simple answers.

[Grossvater]

Here it got to the bottom of Hiroshima. At that moment, the Japanese did not really understand what had happened. That they were fifty thousand in Hiroshima, if either one hundred and fifty or three hundred and fifty thousand died in Tokyo.
And they are loved with the Americans in the gums, because, despite their extremely eastern location, they are part of the Western world, and the West is inherently masochistic.
Let us remember the motto of the Thirty Years' War: "Whose power, that is faith"!

[Illanatol]

Quote from DMFalke

There was no Western morality and humanism there at all. (well, about the same amount of humanism was shown by the Belgians in the Congo and the Americans towards the Indians)

Actually, the Yankees and the Belgians just clearly showed what kind of beast it is - "Western morality and humanism."
Actually, these things are for internal use. And in relation to the outside world ... who is there continuing the work of Shiro Ishiyi (head of "detachment 731"). Whose biolaboratories have been spotted in Ukraine and Georgia?

[Illanatol]

Quote: Grossvater

And they are loved with the Americans in the gums, because, despite their extremely eastern location, they are part of the Western world, and the West is inherently masochistic.

Well, suppose the servility of the Japanese is determined by their own mentality and traditions.
The Japanese can show miracles of courage and resilience. But if they recognize themselves as defeated and the superiority of the enemy, there will be no slave more faithful and obedient than the Japanese. Everything will be done by order of the owner.
This is our “hazing”, although they do occur, they are still considered a deviation from the norm, reprehensible. And among the Japanese, this is part of the cultural tradition that must be observed.
Therefore, in Russian samurai they see immoral barbarians ... how so, they lost the cold war, but they dared to rebel against the will of yesterday's winners ... for sure - barbarians !.
Although deep down they even envy us. They then lack the spirit to show independence, despite all the economic power and technology. So they will only grind their teeth, reading about the next rape of a Japanese Yankee schoolgirl in Okinawa.

[Mapping]

That's just for the activities of the detachments: 731,516,100, etc. it was worth pulverizing the Japanese

[alexandr_vd]

The Americans did not bomb Tokyo with any napalm!
Only a mixture of incendiary (most) and high-explosive bombs!
More was not needed, given the material of Japanese buildings. Wood and paper.
The author - MINUS for incompetence!

[ivan2022]

".... They need to be cut or sheared..."
/A. S. Pushkin 1823/
Japs were slaughtered yesterday, today they are cutting their hair. We were sheared yesterday, today they cut us. The rest... stupid lyrics.

[Fitter65]

...these settlements 78 years ago became the first (and, fortunately, so far the last)who have been nuked.

Word whilea bit annoying though first and only sounds more uplifting.

[zenion]

The United States is not Japan's allies, but its masters.

[acetophenone]

Quote: zenion

The United States is not Japan's allies, but its masters.

Five points!

[Berg berg]

By the fact that they turned out to be cowards and the American occupation is a joy to them! In short, they went into virtual and anime!