Pros And Cons Of The Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki

Introduction
For decades there has been a great controversy as to whether or not the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified. It is often argued that these bombings were hideous atrocities the likes of which the world has never seen before, ones born of a nation’s thirst for vengeance and desire to exhibit its military and technological superiority. Some argue that though the bombings brought about the end to the Second World War, the deaths of more than two hundred thousand people cannot be a justifiable sacrifice. Others disagree completely and state that these deaths were a small price to pay to end the war that had ravaged millions more. And so, debates regarding this topic have flourished since those fateful days 70 years

Kamikaze pilots were essentially Japanese suicide bombers whose job was to crash their planes (and themselves) on to their target in the hopes of causing severe damage. Kamikaze pilots were often willing volunteers who prided dying for their nation and for their emperor, whom they believed would grant them riches in the afterlife. Japanese suicide bombers were not limited to the kamikaze alone. Soldiers would strap explosives to their own bodies, run through enemy lines, and explode over military equipment and weaponry; some would steer miniature submarines lined with explosives and ram enemy ships. If they had no explosives with them, some soldiers would simply charge straight into enemy lines with their bayonets once their grenades and ammunition ran out.

The brutality of the Japanese army towards non-Japanese civilians had its roots in the Japanese nation’s high sense of nationalism and belief of the superiority of their race. Foreign people were seen as less honorable; thus the Japanese government neglected to establish regulations on the proper treatment of foreign civilians during war. This in turn gave Japanese soldiers freedom to treat citizens of Japanese-conquered nations however the saw fit, leading to brutality, disrespect towards human rights, and