Essay Sample on Using Atomic Weapons against Japan: Was it Right?

The past few years have been characterized by the unending debate over whether the US was justified to drop atomic bombs in Japan during the end of World War 2. These bombings were targeted to the Japanese cities; of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which lead to death and genetic mutations in a lot of people. The war in Europe had concluded but the refusal of Japan to surrender prompted the allies to proceed with the bombings (Feis, 2015). After the Nagasaki bombing, the Japanese government signed an ultimatum of surrender, which marked the end of World War 2. Proponents argue that it was justified to bomb Japan, which would consequently end the war. However, the bombing of Japan was morally wrong and unnecessary due to the untoward effects experienced by people afterward.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The atomic bomb developed by US scientists was to be used only for defense purposes against countries such as Germany. Upon realizing the imminent threat that Germany had due to their acquisition of atomic bombs, the US government had to develop theirs to serve as a protective measure. The president, Harry Truman gave the go-ahead to scientists such as Einstein and Szilard to develop an atomic bomb for the nation (Brau, 2017). Releasing the atomic bomb to Japan breached the United States' initial declaration that it would only be used for defense purposes (Brau, 2017).This was an irrational decision that leads to massive deaths.

The release of the atomic bomb in Japan was not only morally incorrect but also unnecessary. In September 1938, the League of Nations had issued a resolution that not only outlawed the release of military objects from the air but also the bombing of civilian populations (Brau, 2017). The League also stipulated that any attack carried out on legitimate military objectives should be conducted in a manner not endangering the civilian populations. In addition, the resolution criminalized the use of chemical or bacterial methods in the war to gain an advantage over other nations (Herken, 2014).

The use of atomic bombs in Japan was criticized due to the assertions that it was racially motivated. Racism against the Japanese was intense as they were viewed as inhuman and monstrous beings. These people were dehumanized and compared to animals such as rats and insects such as cockroaches (Herken, 2014). Their language, culture, customs, and religious beliefs were disregarded by the US and considered archaic. This racism was so intense that they could not pick out the civilians from the militarists. All Japanese people were discriminated due to their different genetic makeup. This is very harsh considering all human beings were created equal and no one is above others. Thus, this was a shallow excuse to drop the bombs on the Japanese soils.

The events that lead to the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are quite unfortunate and harsh. The fact that the war ended after those bombings indicates how grave the situation was. Whichever decisions motivated the bombings by the US cannot and will never justify the problems caused. After this bombing, certain international declarations were made in an attempt to regulate the amount of armor found in any nation. Thus, it was morally wrong and unnecessary to release atomic bombs to the Japanese soil.

References

Brau, M. (2017). The Atomic Bomb Suppressed: American Censorship in Occupied Japan: American Censorship in Occupied Japan. Routledge.

Feis, H. (2015). The atomic bomb and the end of World War II. Princeton University Press.

Herken, G. (2014). The Winning Weapon: The Atomic Bomb in the Cold War, 1945-1950. Princeton University Press.