There are over 50% of Americans who believe that "It was not a mistake that we dropped the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
For Americans who assert that they do not need to apologize, the reason is "Remember pearl harbor".
The Japanese army attacked pearl harbor in Hawaii on 7 December 1941, without declaring war on war. It is the Japanese army that is bad.
But in fact, before that, the United States and the allied nations had declared war against Japan.
The battle between Japan and the United States began with the "economic blockade" such as restrictions on the export of scrap iron and fuel to Japan, the freezing of assets in the US, and the full embargo of oil to Japan.
"Economic blockade" is a restriction to export to Japan such as scrap iron and aircraft fuel, due to the expiration of the Japan-U.S. Commercial Navigation Treaty in January, 1940, full embargo of iron scraps in September 1940, July 1941 Japan's economic sanctions against Japan by the United States of America(A), the British(B), China(C),and the Dutch(D), such as the freezing of US assets in Japan, the freeze of assets in the UK, the freezing of assets in the U.S., the disposal of the Japan-UK Trade Navigation Treaty, etc. and the full embargo of oil in August 1941, It was done already.
(ABCD enclosing network)
Mitsui and others tried to acquire oil fields and mines such as Brazil by the private sector, but abandoned by the pressure of the United States.
At that time, Japan relied on imports from the United States of 80% of the oil, so if it was completely embargoed from the United States, oil stockpiles were in a situation of bottoming out in less than three years in peacetime and one and a half year in wartime .
Could it be said that this economic blockade is a war act?
In 1928, in Paris, the "General Treaty for Renunciation of War as an Instrument of National Policy" (Kellogg-Briand Pact) was signed in 15 countries including Japan.
The joint proposal for this Kellogg-Briand Pact was the Secretary of State of Frank Kellogg of the United States and Foreign Minister Brian of France.
Secretary Kellogg explains that judgment on whether "aggression war" or "self-defense war" has each country equipped with "Right of Self Interpretation", it is nothing else to judge on their own. did.
Also on December 7, 1928, at the US Senate Parliament, discussions were held over ratifying the Treaty of Paris.
Secretary of State Kellogg answered as follows to the question that the lawmakers asked, "What will happen if the state receives" economic blockade "instead of being militarily attacked?"
"It is not usually thought to do just" economic blockade "without fighting the war.
In addition, Secretary of State Kellogg asked the question "Do you think that" economic blockade "is equivalent to" act of war "?"
"Of course, (economic blockade is war act itself)" I affirmed.
Even in Kellogg-Briand Pact, it was declared that "economic blockade is the act of war itself".
However, during the Occupation Tokyo trial, Japan was condemned as having carried out an aggressive war in violation of Kellogg-Briand Pact.
Former US president Huber met with MacArthur after Japan's defeat and stated as follows.
"I said" All of the war with Japan was the desire of a madman (Roosevelt) who wants to set up a war, "MacArthur also agreed.
MacArthur said, "The financial sanctions against Japan in July 1941 was not only provocative, but if we do not cancel that sanction,
Even if it is a suicidal act, Japan has been forced to war. Economic sanctions are not subject to slaughter and destruction, but they are war acts,
Even in any country, if it was a country that took pride in, I could not bear it. "
"Economic Blockade" against Japan did not shoot bullets, but in essence it was a war ".
MacArthur left Japan and returned to the United States as President Truman dispatched all posts.
And, as of May 1951, a short time after returning home, the US Senate Military Diplomatic Joint Committee testified as follows.
"They (Japan) were afraid that there would be 12 million people unemployed if the supply of raw materials such as oil and scrap iron were broken.
Therefore, the motivation for Japan to jump into the war was that most of it was forced by the need for security. "
Japan suffered from the economic sanctions due to the strength, suffered, could not stop stopping, and had to fight for self defense.
However, the Japanese government did not give up to the end in order to avoid war by talks.
Between April and November 1941, the negotiations between Japan and the U.S. were continued as much as possible.
On November 26, 1941, US Secretary of State Cordell Hull handed the documents to Yoshaburo Nomura and Saburo Kurusu, Japanese ambassador to plaintiffs plenipotentiary.
(Common name Hull note)
In the document, as a conclusion condition for the war avoidance, it is necessary for Japan to withdraw all Japanese military deployed in China and Buddhasmark, dismiss the Japan - Germany - Italy alliance, Japan 's puppet regime, Nangjing' s Wang Trident administration It was written to deny.
This content was the de facto final notice, which invalidated all Japanese concessions in the Japan-US negotiations that had been accumulated until then.
The 8 th Meeting was held on September 6, 1941 before receiving this "Hull note".
Emperor Hirohito took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it himself.
"Ocean sea
Everyone in the world is brother and sister
To happen wave with wind
Why it is happen?"
This is poem by the Emperor Meiji who is the grandfather of Hirohito.
It means that the waves of strife will happen though the ocean in all directions (the world) think that they are all the same family and brothers.
Afterwards, Osami Nagano, the president of the Navy's Army Order, asked for remarks and said:
"According to the government statement, if we succumb to America's assertion it is inevitable to destroy the country, but war will also destroy the country.
That is, I will destroy Japan without war. However, in the war it will definitely destroy Japan. To destroy Japan without war, the body and mind are the eternal destruction of the Japanese nation.
However, if we stick to the spirit of warfare to protect Japan, even if we lose the war, the spirit of protection of our country is over and the descendants of Japanese people will always come back.
As I said earlier as the head of administration, I hope that diplomatic negotiations will achieve the objective of avoiding the battle between Japan and the United States,
If the Japanese government unhappily decides to open the battle and if orders are to be issued, I will go fight and fight to the last soldier. "
(The truth of post war history Toru Maeno, Fusosha)
Dropping the atomic bomb is not a mistake. And the United States which unilaterally evacuates by saying "surprise attack with Japanese army without declaration of declaration of war" "Remember pearl harbor".
Japan, which was forced into "Economic Blockade" by the Allied Powers, chose not to fight without fighting, to fight and to pass away.
Also, until then, the Japanese Navy was opposed to participating in the US, and 90% of US public opinion was against opposing war.
President Roosevelt, who declared war on the "Economic Blockade," planned to fight the US citizens and the Japanese army, to drive Japan, as if it were the first blow from Japan.
Reference book
"Why did America launch a war against Japan" Hideaki Kase, co-author Henry Scott Stokes
Reference video
"It is not bad that the US dropped the atomic bomb., Japanese should rather apologize. You should be happy to be able to survive."