View of the cloud of the atomic explosion in Nagasaki from a distance of 15 km. August 9, 1945
Japanese myth
Japan has its own myth about the end of World War II and the nuclear bombings on August 6 and 9, 1945. It lies in the fact that this is a mournful and mournful date, but the United States is not named as a country that used nuclear weapon. The name of the Americans fell under an unspoken taboo. America, which inflicted two nuclear strikes on Japanese cities, where there were no large military formations, garrisons and military production, is not named. No way. The bombs fell from nowhere. On this occasion, mourning events are held.
Rational explanation? Of course have. This is an allied relationship with the United States. Japan after the defeat became an unsinkable American aircraft carrier off the coast of the USSR, Russia and China. Which remains to this day. Plus a complex of collective guilt, like the German one, which was stubbornly planted after the war and which became one of the main "bonds" of the post-war Land of the Rising Sun.
Apparently, this implanted inferiority complex has become one of the prerequisites for the current mental crisis of the Japanese nation, which is moving into the virtual world and rapidly dying out. Previously, it was a warrior people, a samurai. After the defeat, they were made a victim. Hence the mental crisis of the nation.
American myth
According to the American version, it was the use of nuclear weapons against Hiroshima and Nagasaki that convinced the Japanese military-political leadership that resistance was losing all meaning. Therefore, Japan capitulated, and the United States and its allies avoided heavy losses during the assault on the Japanese islands (hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of soldiers). However, this version is extremely doubtful.
The fact is that the usual massive bombing of Japanese cities (they were mostly made of wood) with the help of strategic aviation led to similar results. So, on March 10, 1945, Tokyo was bombed. About 100 thousand people died, the city was destroyed. That is, with the help of strategic aviation, the Americans achieved the same or even more effective results. Atomic bombs were needed in order to show the Russians and the entire planet that the Americans received a "wonder weapon."
In addition, in the context of the collapse of the command and control system in August 1945, it was difficult to get a complete and reliable picture of what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And it is impossible to draw strategic conclusions from this.
Much more important events for Japan at this point occurred on the mainland. On August 8, the USSR, fulfilling allied obligations, declared war on Japan. On August 9, the Soviet army attacked the Japanese in Manchuria. In just a week, the Russians broke into the fortified areas of the Kwantung Army, which had been preparing for years, and defeated the millionth Japanese army.
The Japanese headquarters expected that when the enemy began to land troops on the Japanese islands, the main forces could continue to resist on the mainland, in Korea and China. Now there was no such possibility. This was the key reason for recognizing the impossibility of further resistance to the empire. The decision was made to surrender. That is, the entry of the USSR into the war shortened the course of World War II by a year or two. Saved millions of lives, including the Japanese themselves.
Japanese threat
Naturally, the Japanese leadership is trying to overcome the consequences of the defeat in World War II and get rid of the status of a defeated country. To this end, the self-defense forces, which previously had only a defensive potential, are being turned into full-fledged armed forces with all the capabilities for an offensive war.
On the other hand, Tokyo, even under Yeltsin, raises the issue of the return of the "northern territories." At the beginning, they tried to do it peacefully, since Moscow made concessions. The acquisition of the Kuriles will become the point that will allow us to reconsider the results of the Second World War. Japan will no longer be a defeated country.
Another possibility for Japan is a war with China, another traditional enemy of the Japanese. The reason could be North Korea, the disputed Senkaku Islands, or the Taiwan issue. On the issue of Korea and Taiwan, the Japanese can become part of an international coalition to "appease" China. Actually, the Americans themselves are not going to fight for the Chinese from Fomoza. For this there is cannon fodder like Japan.
Now Japan has a great opportunity to capture the Kuriles. Probably Sakhalin. The main combat-ready formations and units of the Russian army are connected in the western (Ukrainian) direction. The Far East direction after 1991 is extremely weakened.
Attempts to strengthen the eastern direction have been made in recent years, but clearly insufficient. The Pacific Fleet is weak and inferior to the enemy in the number of modern warships. Nuclear weapons cannot be used against Japan, it does not have nuclear weapons.
China will obviously remain neutral, confining itself to condemning Japanese aggression. Plus, it will show red lines, for example, only the Kuriles - no more.
Hence the increase in the aggressive rhetoric of Japanese diplomacy, hostile attacks against Russia, sanctions and support for the Ukrainian regime. With a simultaneous increase in the strike potential of the Japanese Armed Forces.
What to do?
As has been noted more than once: to strengthen the army and navy. Our only allies. It is also time to remember about domestic science, education, culture and the national economy.