Did the Japanese invasion of China provoke the US into using the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If not, what provoked the us government into using these weapons?
3 Answers
The refusal of Japan to capitulate
Explanation:
After May 8th in 1945 the war was over in Europe but it carried on in Asia. Japan was heavily bombed but resisted and refused to capitulate, the atomic bombing was meant to force them to capitulate.
Historians contest this claim and assert that the use of the atomic bomb was aimed at impressing the Soviet Union and preventing it from annexing further in Northern Japan, some isles had been conquered next to Siberia.
The Japanese invasion of China provoked the US into an economic war with Japan.
Explanation:
In response to the the Japanese invasion of China and harsh treatment of Chinese the US proposed a ban on the sale of steel,oil and other product needed by the Japanese.
The Japanese had to give up on its dreams of an empire controlling the Asian Pacific area, to avoid the economic penalties. The other option was to go to war against the United States. It was during negotiations to resolve the issues involved in the Japanese invasion of China and the economic sanctions imposed the United States that the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred.
The Japanese Invasion of China and the United States economic war against Japan, resulted in the war between Japan and the United States and the United States entering World War II.
The immense causalities suffered by the United States forces in the taking of Japanese islands and the refusal of the Japanese to surrender
Explanation:
The United States suffered high causality rates in the conquest of many Japanese held islands leading up to the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. 24% of the American armed forces involved in the island invasions were killed or injured. The US suffered over 365,000 killed or wounded in the Pacific campaigns.
The Japanese suffered over 1,800,000 killed or wounded in their Pacific campaigns including the war in China. 668,000 Japanese civilians died in the fighting. On Saipan the Japanese civilians committed suicide rather than surrender. Few Japanese ever surrendered or were taken prisoner. Only 1-3% of the Japanese forces surrendered, many of these only because they were too wounded to fight.
An example was the battle for the island of Peleliu. The island was defended by 11,000 Japanese troops. The United States suffered 9,800 causalities in taking the island. The first Marine division suffered 70% casualties in the battle. In 1947 a Japanese officer and 26 soldiers under his commanded finally surrendered. They had hidden out in caves, fighting a gurillia was until being persuaded by a Japanese admiral that the war was over and they would lose no honor by surrendering.
The American government given a choice between using atomic weapons or facing an enemy that would fight to defend their homeland to the last man choose to use atomic weapons. The concern was mainly the loss of American lives but also the certainty of huge loss of lives of both Japanese troops and civilians.
The morality of the choice to use atomic weapons may be debated but at the time the choice of the American government was made to save lives.
