Dr. Yamashita Says Atomic Bombs Shouldn’t Have Been Used
On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan, killing over 80,000 people. A few days later, they dropped another bomb, killing another 40,000 people.
Inside the UW-Whitewater University Center in front of a crowd of 50 or so people on Tuesday night, Dr. Yamashita gave a lecture about the end of World War Two and that the bombing of Japan could’ve possibly been avoided.
Dr. Yamashita emphasized the idea that the Japanese knew they were beat, and some were already open to the idea of surrender.
“Many Japanese officials wanted to end the war,” Yamashita said.
One top Japanese official, Admiral Takagi, did not even want to attack Pearl Harbor, feeling that Japan was overextending themselves. Takagi was eventually removed from his position due to his beliefs.
The Allies had also given Japan notice that they would soon turn their attention to them through the Potsdam Declaration. They also gave Japan a chance to surrender.
Japan was also struggling on the home front. Citizens were being trained for war, even the children, who practiced battle moves during school. Many citizens did not believe that Japan would emerge victorious, and that they were being sent to die.
Dr. Yamashita’s lecture was a learning moment for some UW-Whitewater students, such as Charlie Nowak.
“This lecture was engaging and interesting, and I was able to see the Japaneese perspective of the end of the war and what they had to go through,” Nowak said.
Some audience members took time to reflect on their experiences during World War Two.
“When the war ended, I remember that there was dancing in the streets. I have not seen that since,” one audience member said.
Dr. Yamashita concluded the lecture with the idea that Japan was already weak and battered with so many of their own ready to end the war, that they would have eventually surrendered. The atomic bombs merely accelerated that process and did not need to be used.
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