Japan so did target American citizens, but the feat was too hard as we had the best continental defense. Ever hear of the Rockies Incident? A Hot Air balloon that disembarked from a Japanese carrier which made a quick brush into American-Canadian held waters floated over California and Oregon and such. Later, it reached the rockies. They were to target Civilians and to disrupt America, their primary objective to drop fliers and their secondary to drop small explosives *As to simulate that the skies had turned against the Americans, and that it was now falling upon them. Do this in small communities, and they'll go to lockdown. Do it to a million small communities, and you've got your self a hell of a situation.*, and well the one time this specific balloon dropped explosives *that we have recorded, from this one atleast* was on a hiking party in the Rockies. I don't know the rest of the story, other than the majority of this family died.
Also, the Japanese are perhaps the worst *when viewing history* when compared to Genocides.
The Rape of Nanking, now although I most digress that the invasion it self was never justified by the Imperial Government. Infact, the army stationed in Korea *forgot it's name* went through with a never mentioned invasion of China. This being Manchuria. The campaign started by blowing up part of the train track, and then using what was left to pull in troops in heavy ammounts. The Chinese never responded because of the raging Civil War amongst Nationalists and Communists, and when the 'Rogue' General of this army brought the fact that he had taken Manchuria with little casualties is what intrigued Hirohito to stay in Manchuria and take more parts of China. The rape of Nanking was a LONG series of Japanese troops systematically killing off villages in Manchuria, with no reason expressed.
And KDK you are very wrong.
Anyone who says the war with Japan was already over is full of *beep* The Japanese would have put in a good 5 - 8 years of fighting, or atleast a final series of battles that would result in the crashing of a lot of East Asian economies and America and Britain and Australia's economies crashing and millions upon millions of dead men, and hundreds of thousands more of dead civilians in the cross-fire.
We did the research, we looked at the statistics. The Atomic Bombings WERE justified. The Japanese Imperial Government was not goint to give in to the Americans, infact it wasn't even controlled by the Emperor by this point. It was, once again, basically a Shogunate but with a General of the Army and Navy instead of the Shogun. And yes, you can have a GENERAL over the Navy as long as the title, in that case, includes ARMY. Anyways, their HQ was full of people too devoted to never want to surrender. It was either lose a few million Americans, another few million Japanese, and a lot more Civilians than BOTH of the Atmoic bombings combined.
So, we did it. We decided to drop the first bomb, the Japanese Government responded. They were not surrendering. We feared, that now, they would gear up for an all out invasion of Oregon and Vancouver Island as they converted more Civilians into fighters. So, we decided. We dropped the second bomb. The Japanese Government could no longer stand it, knowing that if any more be dropped they would not have the numbers wanted. Also, both Cities had a very highly Military importance.
One of the two cities, I can't remember which, had a major broadcasting station. This station was used to spy on American broadcasts from ship to ship, and to relay all important commands to troops fighting off the American invaders. The other City had a big military cache, and a sizeable fleet stationed.
Also, admittedly, we did purpously pick more densely populated cities with some major military importance. Although we specifically didn't make the Japanese Military our innitial target, we wanted to leave a Psychological effect on the Japanese Government. We arn't the proudest to admit, but we knew that we would be killing, amongst a lot, Pregnant Women, Little Children, and innocents just wanting to live life and try to ignore what was happening. But they WERN'T our specific targets, just the ones that died in the cross fire of the war.
Looking at the Battle of Okinawa alone, the Casualties are as -
Civilian - 100,000 ( ALL DEATHS, and I'm NOT using Casualties as in afflicted by the war..those KILLED in the Cross Fire, and those who were convinced by Japanese propoganda which said Americans eat little Children over open fires and rape women continuosly, yes I'm not joking with you. )
Japanese Military - 107,000 ( Including Seppuku, and those blowing their own selves up with small explosives. This number includes conscripts from the Okinawan Militia )
American Military - > 38,000 ( 12,000 counted as Missing, or dying later on of Battle of Effects ie Mortal Wounds )
The entire Island chain of the Ryukyu Islands ( running from Taiwan to Japan ) had lost a third of it's population from this battle ALONE. And 90% of the buildings in Okinawa had been completely demolished from the Battle.
Now, take an invasion of mainland Japan. We are landing troops, finally, in Yokohama harbor, due south of Tokyo. The Imperial Navy is fighting off the Soviets near Hokkaido, and have the rest of their navy hiding in Toyko Harbor after being pushed out of Yokohama. Yohohama has one of the largest populations in Japan. We take the same sentiment with what happened in Okinawa. People are scared *beep* of Americans eating them alive and raping them to death, and they are proud as hell to not let their nation fall without a fight. A lot of families commit suicide, mostly with the father killing his family and then joining the Militia with perhaps his sons if they were old enough. We land our Marines, and the fighting commences. Bombardment of the Island commences, once more, and we firebomb the furthest part of Yokohama for Psychological affects, to make them think we are comming in from all directions. We have the upperhand, as the Imperial Army has been forced to draft a lot of it's male population. They are highly untrained now and mostly rag-tag, and we are fierce and have been fighting them for many year now. The year is 46, February, and the snows are just melting *if any, I'm sure Yokohama gets some snow. Last time I checked, it did*. Fighting ensues, the first day alone reaches into thousands of deaths. Throughout the month, we slowly take Yokohama. The Japanese fight hard, some even run at American Marines with grenades out missing a pin. A lot are commiting Seppuku, as they see the Allied line close in. Men, who havn't killed their families, flee and eat their final meals with their families, perhaps make love to their wifes one last time, and kill their families *Speaking in plural, not as if one guy has more than one wife etc*. They then, after consideration, either go back to fight or commit Seppuku and join their families. Majority commit Seppuku, some return to fight the Americans.
Battle drudges on, and we finally have Yokohama. The entire Northwestern part of the city has been bombed to fine dirt and dust, and the inner most part of the city and landing sites appear to be rubble of a former past and littered with bodies. This battle alone rages with Casualties.
Yokohama has been known for having a pretty big population, being in the millions. Realistically, the majority of Japanese families wern't able to evacuate due to the American bombings of most exit-entrance points *For trying to prevent the Japanese Military to reinforce too, by rendering roads useless*. So, in an attempt to escape, they most likely die in the bombings. The rest stay, and we go through the suicide and seppuku *I consider both very different, as Suicide is pathetic and Seppuku is Honor*. The entire killing family things, bla bla bla, I've said that enough times. The HUGE station of Japanese soldiers is utterly killed off, possibly about 4,300 are Captured and the rest are dead. That ALONE rages into the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DEATHS, MORE than either Atomic bombing.
Now, Civilians. Most likely, a realistic estimate would be 1.8 MILLION DEAD to 2 MILLION DEAD. All of these from Cross fire, Bombings, and Seppuku and murder of one another to bla bla you get that point too. That alone is far more devastating then the Atomic Bombings combined. And a re-look at the deaths, I'd possibly say more like 800,000 to about 1.2 Million. But if you think of that, it is still way too much.
Now, we even have Tokyo and Kyoto to finish off. And the Soviets, not the most examplary people ever, have been taking care of the South Kuril Islands and Hokkaido Island. That alone is pretty devastating, most likely with more Military casualties with the Soviets and over time an annihilation of most cities. Tokyo would have to be bombed for atleast half a year to a year before we could logically invade it. The bombings alone would be more than Yokohama, perhaps.
Now, I don't want to go on because I am sincerely hoping you have all gotten the point by now. All those deaths combined are not worth ending the war, and so we had to plan. What could we do? Well, the only logical thing was let the Soviets handle all the land battles and perhaps have the Japanese lose *beep* more of people, or we bomb every inch of it to fine dirt and dust which would have cost the American economy so much the entire world would be in another depression, which alone could start a WWIII later on much more easily.
So, we made our choices. And we were not proud of those choices. No one is ever proud, the majority of the time, with even their own simple "Get McDonalds or Eat an Apple" sort of choices. Now, I show you the Casualties of both Atomic Bombings.
Casualties of the Atomic Bombings -
Hiroshima - 140,000 Estimated Dead by the Japanese Government *Not by us, they did it, we did NOT estimate their dead. This estimate was made in 1945 and was approved of in the 1970s*
Nagasaki - 74,000 Estimated Dead by the Japanese Government *Again, this figure is also mostly Civilian as the above one includes a pretty big Military number as well*
Casualties from a Conventional Battle, that of Okinawa -
Japanese Civilians Dead - 100,000
Japanese Soldiers/Militiamen/Conscripts Dead - 107,000
American Soldiers/Marines/Sailors/Pilots Dead - >38,000
My thoughts and Estimates, taking in all realistic and life like factors into the equasion, on Casualties if we were to continue the Invasion -
Yokohama - 800,000 to 1.2 Million Civilians Dead, over HALF of the City absolutely destroyed and the rest left in skeletal rubble
Yokohama Defense - Pending on how we got lead to the City, perhaps Millions of Soldiers dead.
Yokohama Invadees, namely the American Marines - Hundreds of Thousands
And, my final point, if the war had drudged on any longer...Eastern Asia would look a lot like the Middle East. Barren, hate filled, and more than enough wars. This world, infact, would be different. The war it self would have lead to the end of Japanese Culture, the Soviets would convert the North into a part of Sakhalin Oblast, and we would have been re-building so much of Japan that it would basically be like Britain - the, instead 51st, 52nd State. Of course, there would also be no Honda Civics to drive. There would be no hi-tech gear, of course we would invent some but not on a Civilian Level, and there would just not be the Japan we know of it as today. No Anime, no funny commercials, and no weird shows. That is what makes them...THEM. And we, to them, look like what they look to us. I'm sure that it is very much a normal kind of Culture, with it's unique attributes. Infact, I KNOW it is.
So, without any further adou, which do you pick?
Atomic Bomb Japan two times, or face millions upon millions of deaths and an incidental erasing of a Culture?
214,000 Dead, or Millions upon Millions put into stacks of bodies much like the aftermath of the entire invasion of Normandy?
And, as more of a P.S., if you WERE to ask the normal Japanese Citizen, the younger ones would say -
I really don't care, it is more of the past.
And the older ones would say -
It was an uninevitable process.
And, infact, the majority do agree that it was best to Atom Bomb than to continue on with the war. Infact, a lot of Japan was rather glad that we riddled them with the two bombs rather than hundreds of billion conventional ones. And billion might sound like a large number, but it is no where close to an exageration. Tip - Go look at the Vietnam War, and the ammount of bombs we dropped *Albeit, I do find our selves at fault for some bad things there*.
Now, decide. Was it really that bad of an idea in the end? Well, it wasn't the worst.
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