Job Discussion Forums

[southofreality]

Anyone care wager on whether she'll make it or not?

I'll give 4 to 1 odds she doesn't this time.

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070703p2a00m0na020000c.html

[JimDunlop2]

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/03/1968791.htm?section=justin

[User N. Ame]

[User N. Ame]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

She's probably right that the US wouldn't have dropped that kind of bomb on white nations. But the fact remains that Japan put itself in the position to be attacked by them by attacking first.

Most voters in this country are old. Young people just don't vote very often. Old people want to believe that Japan did nothing wrong in WWII. JHS textbooks say things like 'One day pretty, little Saori was playing and singing Tra la la! Tra la la!. She was dancing amongst cherry blossoms. A US airplane flew overhead. Oh What a pretty air-ro-plane! Saori said. It can never be known if the pilot of that airplane heard little Saori or not (we are pretty sure that he did!) but Saori thought she heard laughter coming from the airplane as an atomic bomb was dropped. Soari was immediately obliterated but her friends suffered for ages. Not just because of the overwhelming physical pain they felt from having been outside of the area where everything just disintegrated, but because they all thought of pretty little Saori- a symbol of the love and joy that was Japan- and her laughter and happy little voice that sang Tra la la! Tra la la! while playing and dancing amongst cherry blossoms being snuffed out like a GI stomping on a cigarette. Life would never be the same for them again'. Textbooks seem to be trying to make sure kids understand the 'Japanese' point of view and tacitly hoping for a 'frank, open' discussion with a foreigner in which the foreigner is taught by Japanese people that Japan was a victim, and so the foreigner can go back to Amelika and explain earnestly that their history textbooks are wrong and that Japanese people couldn't possibly do anything wrong. Everybody loves them!

Will she get in? Maybe. Will she actually do the stuff she's saying she'll do? Nope. Not a chance. Japan relies on the US far too much to go out of their way to piss them off. Will I stop this write-a-question-and-then-answer-it style of prose? I hope so. It's pretty annoying.

[Mothy]

[southofreality]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

The US was rightfully worried about public opinion of a weapon of mass destruction. The bombing of Dresden wasn't a single bomb, but a prolonged bombing, which is phychologically very, very different than a single bomb. Also, Dresden was a multi-national operation. Although Canada and the UK helped the US develop nuclear bomb technology (mostly as a precurser to a cold war situation- they were worried that Germany would develop one), the decision to use it was made by the US alone.

If the war in Europe had still been going when they were ready to drop a nuclear bomb, do you think they would have dropped one on Germany? I don't.

But I also think that every government is like a different company winning a client. They inherit problems- and often these are things that need to be dealt with (especially when it comes to international relations), but they have their own way of dealing with things. So the decision to drop this bomb was made by an American goveremnt that is long, long gone. Just like the decision to bomb Pearl Habor was made by a Japanese government long, long gone.

One thing that Japan never really mentions is that there is very little doube that if they had had a nuclear bomb in WWII, they wouldn't have hesitated to use it, and they likely wouldn't have discussions about where to drop it that was both of military significance and that wouldn't destroy important historical monuments (Kyoto was immedately ruled out, as was Tokyo). If Japan had had the same technology, they would have likely dropped it on Washington itself.

[Mothy]

[southofreality]

[ironopolis]

Although highly sceptical of the racial motive argument, I agree with southofreality above that using the Korean War to disprove any such motive behind the atomic bomb isn't going to work. In fact, it might do the opposite as the US did drop thousands of litres of napalm on Korea and its people (many civilians included) as they did in Vietnam. I don't think there are any white nations this has been used on. Probably better to focus on the realistic possibility of the same weapons being used against the Soviet Union. I think Dresden is also a fair point to raise - many have suggested there was an element of "teaching them a lesson/putting them in their place" about that.


However, ultimately it IS just a ridiculous attempt to deflect blame on the part of Tojo's granddaughter and play not only the victim card, but the wrongful victim card. All colonial powers have a lot more to be sorry for than any ever admit. But considering the incredible extent of the atrocities and abuses committed by the Japanese on the rest of Asia, to somehow go as far the other way as to try to paint this as an attempt to "liberate people of colour" is obscene.

[gaijinalways]

[furiousmilksheikali]

[ironopolis]

furious, perhaps I should have finished the last sentence you quoted with "...by the US.", as that's what I meant specifically. I think you're absolutely right that not a lot is known about napalm's use - many do indeed think it was used in Vietnam, and that was about it.
Still, what you mentioned about Dresden, if true, would further support scepticism of her racial motive argument. As I said, there is plenty to suggest that the Allies were as keen to put the Germans "in their place", so to speak, as they were the Japanese. And in many respects, Japan got a comparitively very good deal out of the aftermath of the war.

Incidentally mate, I really hope you get paid for the time you spend on here

[furiousmilksheikali]