Atomic Bombing on Japan Essay

On the morning of August 6th, 1945 at around 8:16 a. m. , the United States dropped the first bomb on Hiroshima. This bomb was given the nickname â€Å"Little Boy. † Three days after the first atomic bomb was dropped, on August 9th, 1945 at around 11:02 a. m. , the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. This bomb was given the nickname â€Å"Fat Man. † These two bombs immensely destroyed these cities and took the lives of many people. There was an estimated 200,000 lives taken in the atomic bombing on Japan. The war on the Pacific had been going on for over four years before the atomic bombing occurred. There were two big battles that could have led to the United State’s decision of dropping the atomic bomb, the Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In these two battles there was an astounding amount of deaths taken in these battles from both sides. While both sides of the Japanese and American soldiers fought vigorously taking the many lives of one another, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was a military necessity for the United States. The reason why the dropping of the atomic bomb was a military necessity is because there was nothing else to force Japan to surrender. President Harry S. Truman asked the Japanese to surrender on August 3rd, 1945 or face devastation, but the Japanese failed to meet the deadline. Truman ordered the air force to use the new atomic weapons against Japan. Some argued that if we would had waited a few more weeks, Japan would have surrendered. Others argued that there was no other way to persuade the Japanese to surrender but the atomic bombing. Truman said this was a simple military mission. He said a weapon was available to quickly end the war so he sees no reason not to use it. The alternative to dropping the atomic bomb was a ground invasion in Japan, which would have caused heavy losses to our American troops. From my perspective, I believe that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima was necessary for the preservation and security of our nation. At the time of this incident, the United States was involved in World War II serving as part of the Allied Powers. Therefore, on the morning of December 7th, 1941, the Japanese decided to implement surprised attacks on Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was a US Navy base located in Hawaii. The United States was not expecting these attacks at all. I feel that the attack on Hiroshima was retaliation for the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Although we may have gone a little over board, it had to be done to establish that the US was not a nation to be messed with. The Japanese’s opportunity to fight back was over after the first atomic bomb was discharged because the navy was taken out, the inability to import food and the lack of industrial supplies. In addition the second atomic bomb was dropped to seal the victory over Japan. Although both Japan and the United States suffered great losses from the altercations, Japan was left with much more trauma. The first atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima immediately killed an estimated amount of 66,000 people out of a population of 255,000. The second bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki instantly killed about 35,000 people. However, a numerous amount of soldiers and citizens of Japan did not immediately die. These bombings lead to an awful amount of physical effects that dismembered the country of Japan for many years. Many individuals of Japan either died or suffered from radiation burns, cancer, leukemia, and many other physical disorders. Research shows that radiation increases the long-term risks of cancer. At the time of the bombing, many pregnant women gave birth to children with congenital malformations because of the contact with radiation. After the bombing, there were said to be 6,500 orphans in the city of Hiroshima. Despite the many people that were killed in the bombings, Americans saved many lives on both sides by not invading Japan. The city of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was essentially wiped out by the two atomic bombs. The bombs fiercely took out anything in its path. Not one thing or person within 800 meters of the bomb’s blast survived. Only parts of two buildings were standing after the bomb at the explosion site. The survivors in Japan had to clean up over 11. 5 square kilometers of debris and dead bodies after the bombing. This process took Japan four years to clear up. The bombings also cost Hiroshima $2 billion in damage. There were an estimated 60,000 to 90,000 buildings destroyed by the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. And an additional 14,000 buildings destroyed in Nagasaki. To conclude, the atomic bomb dropped on Japan by the United States was indeed a military necessity. The position of the United States at the time left our country with no other choice but to establish superiority; we needed to end the war. There was little sympathy for an enemy who had stimulated the fight and had behaved the way Japan had. Also, Japan’s surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor had left many Americans pleading for revenge. The atomic bomb did just that, wiping out almost entirely two cities in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although much tragedy and trauma had resulted from the attacks of both countries, the sacrifices were necessary and appropriate.