yostos blog

Finished reading: アメリカの戦争責任 by 竹田恒泰 📚

The book that examines the United States’ war responsibility, particularly regarding the atomic bombings during World War II. I decided to read this book because August 15th is recognized as “End of War Day” in Japan.

The book begins with a striking anecdote about Kanji Ishihara, known as a “genius of war,” who stated during the Tokyo Trials that “the primary war criminal is President Truman.” It was particularly impactful to learn that the U.S. had scattered leaflets in Japan threatening to bomb civilians if surrender was not signed by the President. This action clearly violated the Saint Petersburg Declaration and the Hague Regulations, which were the international laws of war at the time, making it a blatant war crime.

Even William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to the President, expressed the following:

In my opinion, the use of this barbaric weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender. [Omitted] My own feeling is that in being the first to use it, we had adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by killing women and children.

In the United States, it is generally believed that the atomic bombs were used as a last resort because Japan would not stop the war. However, there is evidence suggesting otherwise, and I found myself deeply resonating with these points:

• One year before the war ended, the Hyde Park Agreement was secretly signed between President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill, deciding to use the atomic bomb on Japan.
• The U.S. had deciphered Japan’s communication codes and understood that the Emperor was instructing steps toward ending the war.
• The U.S. was aware of the surrender terms Japan would accept and attempted to include them in the Potsdam Declaration, but Secretary of State Byrnes and President Truman removed these terms, insisting on unconditional surrender, which deliberately delayed Japan’s capitulation.
• To measure the power of the atomic bomb, an untouched city was selected, and the bomb was intentionally dropped over a civilian area rather than a military factory.
• The reason Japan ultimately surrendered was due to the Soviet Union’s entry into the war, not the atomic bombings, which contributed nothing to ending the war.