Jake,
I don't think you don't understand anything about Japanese culture,
especially that of the dark years when the military influence became more
and more dominant.
Whether or not the "Japanese military had already been defeated" doesn't
change the fact that the Japanese deaths would have been much greater if
both bombs had not been dropped. The civilians were being trained to use
bamboo spears to attack any allied troops who landed in Japan.
You speak of "the ravings of defeated meglomaniacs who had LOST their
power." Unfortunately, those "defeated meglomaniacs" had not lost their
political power in Japan. The form of government in Japan was not a
democracy or even a republic, instead it was a continuation of a centuries
old tradition of using the emperor as a figurehead to govern.
I recommend that you read the Meiji Constitution of 1889, which governed the
war years.
Do you know anything about Japanese history?
in article
, jake at
wrote on 12/18/03 1:59 PM:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 13:39:19 +0900, Ernest Schaal
wrote:
The Japanese military infrastructure and capacity to wage effective war may
have already been destroyed, and sensible people would have quit under those
circumstances, but according to at least one Japan Times story the military
was quite willing to sacrifice the lives of all Japanese civilians rather
than stand the shame of living with those civilians after losing the war.
sure...
I dont doubt it for a moment..throughout human history meglomaniacs
have always been prepared to do so..
but they were the ravings of defeated meglomaniacs who had LOST their
power.
Most sources I know of talk about the resistance of the military to
surrender, and the uncommon action of the Emperor of resisting the military
on this matter.
Indeed ..
but the Japanese military had already been defeated..
The nuclear bombs were dropped for other reasons than military..
Nagasaki was chosen as a target almost randomly by the pilot
because of weather conditions..on the strength of it having a
Mitsubushi factory there..