[Vicky.]

Modern militaries haven't DELIBERATELY targetted civilian populations since WW2 and that's for good reason.

Officially, anyway.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Scarlett.

civilians are barely involved in the acts of war, yet are the ones who face the consequences of the crimes that their militaries commit.

I do genuinely think it's important to point out the politican situation at the time, too. You can ALMOST justify it if you can say "Well, that country committed monstrous acts and they put those leaders in place" (though even that isn't all that simple, as we know) - BUT pre-1945 Japan had a non-democratic puppet government lead by right wing extremists. The people didn't choose it.

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I do genuinely think it's important to point out the politican situation at the time, too. You can ALMOST justify it if you can say "Well, that country committed monstrous acts and they put those leaders in place" (though even that isn't all that simple, as we know) - BUT pre-1945 Japan had a non-democratic puppet government lead by right wing extremists. The people didn't choose it.

Very true, if I recall, they still had an 'Emperor' at that point in time too, as in an active one, unlike the current one who is more of a figurehead akin to the Queen. The Emperor held all the power, in that era.

Looking into it, I'm surprised Emperor Showa was allowed to continue his reign after WWII, even if it was just a ceremonial role.

[armand.kay]

the way civilians just wanna live their lives while the powerful elite are like "hmm should we kill them to prove a point ��"

[Tom4784]

What happened to Japan was one of the travesties of the World War and was one that our side committed and endorsed.

No matter what is said, those bombs killed more civilians than military personnel and it did more harm to and harmed people not even born yet for generations. Japan was run by a dictatorship, the people did not have a say in the actions of the government or it's military yet it was the people who suffered most just for being born in the wrong place. If the situation was reversed and it was we who were in Japan's position, the bombings would never be seen as justified even if we committed the vile acts that Japan's military were guilty of. The targeting of civilians with a weapon that would have side effects for generations to come is just too reprehensible to defend or justify.

Japan was ruled by truly evil people and you only have to read what the military did to Korea or the atrocities in Nanjing to know that they weren't any better, they weren't people just following orders, but to do what the Allies did to get them to surrender was not worth it. Germany had lost, most of the conflict had come to an end. I think Japan would have eventually had to surrender without the use of the atomic bombs.

The death and maiming of civilians is never justifiable.

[Scarlett.]

I do agree with Toy Soldier that they should have targetted Japanese military installations rather than cities, feels like the Allies did want to make a show of using the weapons in a populated center

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Scarlett.

I do agree with Toy Soldier that they should have targetted Japanese military installations rather than cities, feels like the Allies did want to make a show of using the weapons in a populated center

Oh my, how unreasonable of the allies, to do something that the Axis forces had been doing since the beginning of the war.

Japan never apologised for their unimaginable war crimes. They never owned what they did like the Germans did. I find it hard to feel sorry for them.

[Tom4784]

What an insane argument to make, 'the axis had been doing **** like this so it's only right our side do it too because two wrongs make a right!' We needed to be better than Nazis and the Japanese army, not use their actions to justify an abhorrent show of force against civilians.

Also reasonable people are able to separate the actions of a government from civilians unfortunate enough to be born into dictatorships. To make out that they are one and the same and that makes it justifiable is rather ignorant. Most of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were civilians and people not yet born would suffer from the effects of it. To make out that it's justified that people not yet born should carry the physical consequences of their government's actions is outrageous and immoral.

Japan has never admitted their war crimes and they only gave a pittance to Korea (and not their victims) for the horrific mass rape of Korean women, and the army's cruelty knew no bounds, but you can't hold civilians responsible for a dictatorship's actions. Japanese civilians had no power or say, yet they were made to perish or carry on the physical ramifications of their government's actions for generations.

Blame the government, demand action from the government and wage war against enemy combatants and military structures, not it's civilians. It's a war crime to do so for a reason.