Nuclear Weapons, Suicide Bombers, and the Danger of Swarming Human Locusts

Volume 3 | Issue 8 | Article ID 1826 | Aug 03, 2005 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus

Wakamiya Yoshibumi

Nuclear Weapons, Suicide Bombers, and culture." The protest was ignored and Japan the Danger of Swarming Human Locusts surrendered unconditionally on Aug. 15.

By Wakamiya Yoshibumi Japan must own up to guilt

That was 60 years ago this month.

The scars of the bombings are much in On the afternoon of Aug. 7, 1945, the Imperial evidence. Headquarters in Tokyo made the following announcement: (1) "Yesterday, Aug. 6, The atomic bombs were dropped after repeated Hiroshima was attacked by a small number of air raids by U.S. bombers on Tokyo and other enemy B29s and suffered severe damage.", and cities. In the 2004 movie "The Fog of War," (2) "While it appears that the enemy used a Robert McNamara said the United States new type bomb for the aforementioned attack, would have been guilty of war crimes if it had we are currently looking into the situation in lost the war. McNamara was involved in the detail." U.S. effort against Japan under the command of Gen. Curtis LeMay and later became U.S. When the announcement was made, people in secretary of defense. Hiroshima were in a living hell. Two days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped onBut victors never admit they were at fault. At Nagasaki. the peace festival (later peace memorial ceremony for A-bomb victims) held in A blinding flash, followed instantaneously by a Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1948, to mark the third violent explosion and radiation, killed many anniversary of the bombing, commander-in- people. Countless survivors eventuallychief Horace Robertson of the British succumbed to agonizing deaths. Even now, Commonwealth Occupation Force delivered a people still suffer from the aftereffects. To speech in which he referred to the punishment date, the death toll in Hiroshima from the inflicted on Hiroshima as an act of retaliation bombing stands at 237,000. For Nagasaki, the against Japan as a whole. figure is 135,000. Ordinary citizens and children accounted for most of those who died Robertson attended the ceremony on behalf of or were injured. the occupational forces.

On Aug. 10, Japan lodged a formal protest with Were it not for the atomic bombs, Japan the United States, saying, "The use of bombs probably would not have surrendered and that are incomparably more indiscriminate and instead waged fierce resistance in a ground atrocious than any conventional weapons and battle on its mainland. Why should Japan, projectiles is a new crime against human which started the war, present itself as a victim

1 3 | 8 | 0 APJ | JF of atomic bombings? It doesn't seem right. That A common thread in all the accounts was that is the logic and emotional response of many people who followed orders to commit suicide people in the United States. When thedid so because they had been brainwashed into Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome was added to believing that choosing an honorable death was the list of World Heritage sites in 1996, the better than staying alive and being subjected to U.S. government objected. humiliation as prisoners. The teaching advocated by Minister of the Army Tojo Hideki, But was it really necessary to drop an atomic who later became prime minister, was aimed at bomb on a densely populated city center just instilling awareness of Japan's imperial rule after 8 a.m. on a Monday morning when people and bolstering the people's fighting spirit. It had just started their week? Was the United applied not only to soldiers but also to the States simply trying to find out what the bomb ordinary population. could do? Although Japan and the United States ended up forming a close postwar alliance, we This is the reality of 60 years ago. What right are left with uneasy feelings over the atomic did the Japanese government have to criticize bombings. the United States for indiscriminately attacking civilians? On the other hand, it is not fair to pin all the blame on the United States. That is how I felt War changes people as I watched recently two aired programs on Japan Broadcasting Corp.'s "NHK Special." "We must not make swarming locusts out of They are "Okinawa Yomigaeru Senjo"humans" read an editorial of The Asahi (Okinawa, a battle-ground brought back to life), Shimbun dated Jan. 5, 1997. It likened people which was shown June 18, and "Bokura ha to locusts and grasshoppers that, triggered by Gyokusai Shinakatta-Shonen Shojo-tachi no famine, suddenly multiply and form black, Saipan-sen" (We did not die honorable deaths- belligerent swarms that consume crops. the youth's battle of Saipan), which aired July 2. At the time, civil war was raging in the former Yugoslavia. Even though the people there are In Okinawa Prefecture and on Saipan, islanders known for their hospitality, ethnic were told to commit mass suicide after having confrontation led them to kill each other. been forced to fight a hopeless battle alongside Imperial Japanese Army troops. "People can be friendly or aggressive. They are fickle. They are easily influenced by the In Okinawa, residents of an entire village were atmosphere of the groups to which they belong shot to death by Japanese soldiers, who and once they get out of control, it is difficult to suspected they were U.S. spies. In Saipan, stop them," the editorial read. I often islanders leaped to their deaths from cliffs, remember this piece written by an editorial crying "Long live the emperor," or charged at writer who died last year. the enemy in desperation. Many families committed suicide together using grenades War changes people. What was once that were distributed to them for that purpose. unbelievable becomes common sense. The I was speechless as I listened to accounts from atomic bombs dropped by the United States-a aging residents of both islands who narrowly country committed to fighting oppressive escaped death and recalled their "hell on totalitarianism-embody the ultimate Earth" experiences. contradiction and horror of humans.

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For a long time, the nuclear powers managed one thing in common. They both to keep their arsenals to themselves. However, indiscriminately kill civilians. What would nuclear weapons have proliferated, which was happen if nuclear weapons traded in the black one of the reasons given by the United States market are used for terrorist attacks? for invading Iraq. The world is also troubled by We must not make swarming locusts out of North Korea, which has declared nuclear humans. Once again, I feel the significance of weapons programs. these words. Terrorism is raging in Iraq, where there were no nuclear weapons. Suicide bombers have Wakamiya Yoshibumi heads The Asahi Shimbun attacked London and Egypt. editorial board. This article appeared in IHT/Asahi Shimbun, August 1,2005. Posted at Nuclear weapons and suicide bombers have Japan Focus on August 1, 2005.