Why dropping Atomic Bombs on Japan was necessary & the lesser evil

By Oliver Green

There is a great divide of opinion on this very emotive issue, but for me the case for the use of the Atomic Bomb against Japan is clear, and I am going to explain why over the course of this article. The US, Britain and Canada were right to develop the Atomic Bomb, and the Americans themselves were totally justified, militarily, politically, and yes morally and ethically in using it against Japan.

Firstly, the commitment and will of the Japanese military among its soldiers and high command to resist at the cost of losing everything and everyone to achieve victory was totally dogmatic and unshakable. Furthermore, the civilian population was totally committed to do the same. This was demonstrated by the vast and ever escalating losses inflicted on the Americans as they undertook the task of retaking the islands of the south west pacific from June 1944 to April 1945, so as to get within range of bombing Japanese cities, and then Invading the Japanese Home Islands themselves.

The capture of the Mariana Islands in June 1944 cost the lives of 13,790 US Servicemen, 23,000 Japanese troops and a further 23,000 Japanese civilian deaths and suicides including mother’s killing their children rather than let them fall into the hands of the Americans. The recapture of the Marshall and Gilbert Islands cost the lives of a further 8,130 US Service personnel, but this was only a mere taste of what was to come. The Invasion of Iwo Jima in February 1945 actually claimed a higher rate of American casualties than the enemy. Japanese casualties were 20,000 troops, while American losses totaled 23,000. However, these three actions were all dwarfed by the bloodbath of capturing Okinawa in April 1945, which was seen as the last major obstacle to invading the home Islands. Japanese losses totaled 250,000 including 100,000 Japanese troops and 150,000 civilian deaths and suicides. Furthermore, American losses here were more than those of the Marianna’s, Marshall and Gilbert Islands, and Iwo Jima operations combined, totaling 76,000 US military personnel, which was a third of their entire invasion force.

Now to put this into perspective, total allied losses on D Day 6th June 1944 were 10,000. In addition, it’s important to bear in mind here that these are just tiny little islands, and they hadn’t even got to Japan yet. In addition, the US War Department estimated the cost of invading the Japanese Home Islands at no less than 1.7 Million allied soldiers and 10 Million Japanese casualties. Far higher than the total 240,000 Japanese deaths and 0 Allied casualties that resulted from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. So for me the military and ethical/moral justifications are clear.

It was also politically vital to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan as soon as it became available for three reasons. Firstly, an American President who was responsible and answerable to his constituents could not be justified in failing to use this weapon if it meant saving 1.7 million young men. Secondly, it was absolutely crucial to prevent the Russians from annexing Japan, or carve out a chunk as they had been allowed to do in Germany, as this would have made it virtually impossible to keep a check against Communism in East Asia and have a key strategical western/ democratic counterweight in the region. The Russians had also made no meaningful contribution to the defeat of Japan, other than invading Manchuria as Stalin had promised to do at the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and so had no justifiable right to any of the spoils of victory.

Lastly, Japan’s politicians gained the political authority they required to push for a surrender from the Emperor once the sudden and destructive force of the Atomic Bombs was realised and forced them to the negotiating table, which would in my view have been very naive to have expected otherwise, especially given how Nazi Germany fought to the very end when invaded, even without the suicidal commitment to resist of the Japanese.