The Atomic Bombings on Japan were war crimes and here is why!

It looks like Japan picked a fight with the wrong country.... Maybe we should leave all wars to just slap fighting and anything more would be considered a war crime..

they were of course war crimes, when you intentionally incinerate thousands of men, women and kids, that is about as big a crime as you can have

The fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter whos the worst war criminal. It doesn't change the fact that 9 times of of 10 its usually the people who pay for the actions of their government. This world is so #ed up.

Well what happens when a country mixes civilian populations with their military, should you just leave it alone? Military s should separate the two if they TRULY care about their own people...

The term "war crime" makes me laugh. It's war. People die. Get over it. If Japan had the bomb, they would have used it. The Nazis would have as well. Opposing sides will always look for some type of combat multiplier...and will use it if necessary.

reply to post by daaskapital

You prove valid points about war crimes OP, and regardless of whether or not these particular bombings should/shouldn't be considered as such, how would you react?

If you were in the position to react to acts like Pearl Harbor (one of many), would you be worried about "rules of war?"

Maybe 2 bombs was a bit excessive, but i'd venture to say they deserved it. The innocent Japanese that were killed should blame their own government, Japan was aware we weren't someone to **** with. They pushed until we flexed.

Just my opinion.
Good info though, well researched. Star.

No comment on whether the decision was just, necessary, etc. or not. Just a post that links to the Truman library for further information about this topic: www.trumanlibrary.org...

Im sick to death of these,'' A bombs shouldnt have been dropped on Japan'',if you start a war of aggression on an innocent country or countries like Japan did to China etc ,the horrendous medical experiments on humans which most of these doctors got away with, and later became rich after the war and never charged with their war crimes against humanity .If you start a war ,someone else, will stop it !!! eventually !!! Why do people have this Idiotic sympathy for people who start wars ??? its beyond me ! If the U.S.A had dropped an equivalent amount of conventional bombs on these two cities would there be the uproar ? NO !!! the Japs started the War, the U.S ended it ,accept it ,get on with .Serves as a warning,and timely lesson to Countries who want to start a war ,This is what will happen to you, if you start a war[on innocent people],countries etc .Its like bullies in the school yard who eventually get thumped and go running crying to the teacher ,blaiming some kid who stood up for themselves ,Stop putting out this crap about the Evil of these bombs, they deserved it, they got punished ,you do the wrong thing, i dont care who you are, YOU GET PUNISHED !

I think after events like the cold slaughter of over 300,000 innocent civilians by Japanese Imperial Army forces in the Rape of Nanking China, they forfeited just about any position they had to ever complain about treatment or treaties in that war,

Further... Article 24 as it's being used in context here invalidates good portions of all combatant nation's bombing campaigns of World War II. For that matter though, the whole Geneva Convention was pretty well tossed in the campfire for the Pacific War. As the guys who went for a little walk called the Baton Death March could attest to.

It was a different time and very different set of nations back then and I personally have NO problem with the A-Bombs. I'm just glad the Emperor didn't call our bluff for a 3rd one....That would have been awkward to say the least. Fortunately 2 did the trick and the "fight to the last person" and outright suicides of women and children of the Japanese Civilian population as seen in Okinawa didn't have to be repeated across the entire Home Island Chain.

Knowing history is pretty important on this stuff and nothing like this is as cut and dry as it might first look, IMO.

reply to post by bronto


Believe it or not there were some important, high-level officials living at that time of the event being discussed who expressed views opposite of what you have. Here, have a look-see: www.washingtonsblog.com...

And then there is this damning piece: thenewamerican.com...

reply to post by daaskapital

They committed horrible war crimes, but for the thousandth time, this thread does not focus on them.

I'm not a hater, and it would probably be in my best interest to parrot your stance, and shout out glory to the country which has kindly taken me in. However, I am incapable of taking two pieces from the completed puzzle and attempting to base my entire judgment using only those two pieces. I believe all of the available evidence should be examined in its entirety, before reaching a verdict.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was messed up and could probably be labeled as extreme overkill. However, all war is messed up and overflowing with examples of overkill. I'd like nothing more than to see the end of armed conflicts and also no more use of any instruments of death and destruction.

Shimoda et al. v. The State, Tokyo District Court, 7 December 1963

The link above is for the Shimoda case, which has already presented the atomic bombings as a war crime. I think the Japanese government chose to sweep everything back under the rug, and move forward. As I said in a previous post, scutinizing the atomic bombings, would also bring close scrutiny to the many comparable atrocities Japan committed during the war. It also seems that there was no exact fit, in the previous conventions, which would cover the use of atomic weapons in an air raid. I don't believe anyone really new what to fully expect as those bombs fell from the sky.

I can accept that any future use of nuclear weapons should be clearly classified as a war crime. The full impact is no longer a mystery . We all now know exactly what the devasting effects would be. I think that is what we should take from this. I think that the association made between atomic weapons and war crimes, by the Shimoda case, is more of a future deterent and punishment for any future use of nuclear weapons.

We should focus on our future, and not dwell on the past.

I used to apologize for the nuclear bombings to the occasional Japanese national, when I first married my wife, and began my frequent visits to Japan. I was thanked, of course, but was also told that it was not necessary.

Originally posted by DocHolidaze
reply to post by SpearMint

 

there are not any rules in war.lol. i thought you would know that.

Yes there is.

There shouldn't be a rule book. War is not some game. If you are going to # with a country by attacking them coughpearlharborcough, you damn well better be prepared for retaliation, and YOU are responsible for your own country's people. Sucks to suck.

Originally posted by navy_vet_stg3
The term "war crime" makes me laugh. It's war. People die. Get over it. If Japan had the bomb, they would have used it. The Nazis would have as well. Opposing sides will always look for some type of combat multiplier...and will use it if necessary.

If Japan or Germany had bombed your country with Atomic Bombs, you would be screaming "war crime."

Originally posted by daaskapital

Originally posted by navy_vet_stg3
The term "war crime" makes me laugh. It's war. People die. Get over it. If Japan had the bomb, they would have used it. The Nazis would have as well. Opposing sides will always look for some type of combat multiplier...and will use it if necessary.

If Japan or Germany had bombed your country with Atomic Bombs, you would be screaming "war crime."

Every country involved commited a war crime. The vast majority of German and Japanese war crimes went unpunished. The U.S. commited a war crime, who cares? If we gave Japan A Billion dollars in damages and then they gave us A Billion dollars in damages would you feel better?

reply to post by daaskapital


Can you explain what you're trying to accomplish with this thread? You say it's not an anti-american thread... Fine... You said the only reason why you didn't bring up the war crimes other countries did during WWII was being it didn't pertain to this thread... Fine.... So I ask, what's the point? Are you here to start some campaign to make USA pay for their war crimes? Are you trying to make USA look even worse to the rest of the world for an act they committed 60+ years ago? I just don't understand what you're trying to accomplish here...

ANY acts of war should be considered criminal. There's no need for the long introductory op. We live on one planet, there's nothing else out there for us. What DOES need to be done is to hold any nation engaging in warlike activities accountable for their actions. Demilitarizing the entire planet would probably be a nice first step.

Originally posted by anton74

Originally posted by daaskapital

Originally posted by navy_vet_stg3
The term "war crime" makes me laugh. It's war. People die. Get over it. If Japan had the bomb, they would have used it. The Nazis would have as well. Opposing sides will always look for some type of combat multiplier...and will use it if necessary.

If Japan or Germany had bombed your country with Atomic Bombs, you would be screaming "war crime."

Every country involved commited a war crime. The vast majority of German and Japanese war crimes went unpunished. The U.S. commited a war crime, who cares? If we gave Japan A Billion dollars in damages and then they gave us A Billion dollars in damages would you feel better?

Obviously!

The vast majority? At least they got nailed for the war crimes, unlike the allied powers.

reply to post by daaskapital


If you were to ask anyone who is old enough to have lived during WWII as well as been effected by the actions of the Japanese Military...if they thought the dropping of two Atomic Bombs on Japan was a Good or Bad thing...their response would be an overwhelming....GOOD! I WISH THE U.S. HAD DROPPED 10 A-BOMBS!

The Japanese Military carried out one of the most vicious, illegal, immoral, lacking in all forms of Humanity...Military Campaign in the History of Man.

They would never give up unless the U.S. had dropped those Bombs.

Split Infinity

Originally posted by jhn7537
reply to post by daaskapital

 

Can you explain what you're trying to accomplish with this thread? You say it's not an anti-american thread... Fine... You said the only reason why you didn't bring up the war crimes other countries did during WWII was being it didn't pertain to this thread... Fine.... So I ask, what's the point? Are you here to start some campaign to make USA pay for their war crimes? Are you trying to make USA look even worse to the rest of the world for an act they committed 60+ years ago? I just don't understand what you're trying to accomplish here...

What am i trying to accomplish?

I felt that people would be interested in this topic (why the Atomic bombings of Japan were war crimes under international law). No more, no less.

As has been stated, every country in WW2 committed war crimes...i just thought it would be interesting to write a thread about the laws which were violated in this specific scenario. I had no intention of coming across as anti-American or what have you.

I did not include Japanese War crimes in this thread as i am saving them for a later one...