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People forget the atrocities committed against Chinese civilians by the Japanese, including enforced prostitution for the women, and experimenting on live subjects with chemical and biological weapons. They also mistreated other peoples in occupied countries. There are two very good films by Clint Eastwood, Iwo Jima and Land of our Fathers I think. They show the Japanese viewpoint, it was a very militarised culture, honour based, and being taken prisoner was seen as dishonourable. Hence the operation to clear Iwo Jima cost huge numbers of American (and Japanese) lives. Fighting all the way to the mainland would have resulted in far more deaths than the atom bomb head count. And Japan might have been partioned into Allied and Russian zones.
No, Kyoto was a target but it was obscured by smoke, preventing them targeting it, so they flew on to the secondary target and bombed that instead. Some think the smoke was caused by a Japanese man setting fire to drums of oil, I can't remember why, but it was an otherwise clear day. I think they needed a target that would impress the Japanese of the killing ability and hence convince them to surrender. Huge numbers of non combatants died in the bombing of Britain and Germany, bombing was not as accurate as today.
No, Kyoto was a target but it was obscured by smoke, preventing them targeting it, so they flew on to the secondary target and bombed that instead. Some think the smoke was caused by a Japanese man setting fire to drums of oil, I can't remember why, but it was an otherwise clear day. I think they needed a target that would impress the Japanese of the killing ability and hence convince them to surrender. Huge numbers of non combatants died in the bombing of Britain and Germany, bombing was not as accurate as today.
General MacArthur was held in high esteem by the Japanese, he helped create a viable post war democratic civilian government. It was perhaps American benevolence at its best.
I've always understood that it was W Deming whose innovative work on the economy and production methods who was responsible for quickly turning Japan around.
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Interesting point.
Why was Japan not partitioned into American, British and Russian (but not French!) zones?
Because they surrendered to the US, and the US were able to occupy them in time. In Europe there was a race to get to Berlin, which was won by the Russians, hence Berlin became part of the Soviet zone of control. Churchill foresaw what would happen, he was an incredibly perceptive and intelligent man. He won a Nobel prize too.
You might be right, MacArthur would have been the public face of the post-war occupation. I'll have a read about Derning.
V
vinty
Ironically it was this year that the Japanese under American pressure have removed the pacifist clause in their constitution which prevents them getting involved in foreign conflicts, it seems the Chinese are now a threat to American interests so Japan could become the front line in any conflict between the USA and China.
V
vinty
If Japan was an Island country and their navy and air force was all but destroyed why didn't the Yanks just blockade their Islands and starve them into submission at least the Japs would only have themselves to blame if they tried to tough it out, with no natural resources they would have had no chance of rebuilding their armed forces.
I've looked into Derning, I knew his work, but not his name. MacArthur was the head of the occupation post war, and spear headed the construction of a civic society. Derning's ideas were adopted by the Japanese in the 50's and 60's, but ignored at home i.e. in the US. Nowadays a lot of his ideas are used worldwide. The Japanese adopted his ideas voluntarily, seeing them as a good thing, and they improved Japanese production, but I don't think it was anything to do with the political structure of the country.
I have a suspicion that the Chinese need no conflict with the USA. They are an up and coming production and trading nation, of course, and will certainly overtake us before too long and possibly also America.
China are steadily buying influence in Africa, and asserting themselves in the South China Sea, and over Taiwan. You've seen them building artifical islands to claim seas. There will be conflict with China, for sure. Yes they will overtake us, the Chinese are renowned as industrious asnd intelligent people.
All empires arise and then fall, some quicker than others.
Apart from the ancient empires, we had the British Empire (the biggest ever known) which, due to various reasons, declined until we have virtually nothing now (and, in my opinion, is continuing to atrophy, possibly in turn becoming part of the EC 'empire').
Then there was the German Third Reich which, as we know, expanded rapidly and contracted equally rapidly.
The present world 'empire' is, of course, the USA. Still doing well and the most powerful nation on earth. There's no reason to think that it will continue to dominate the world, though. Nothing lasts for ever.
Yes, I believe that China will be the next superpower. Whether or not they choose to become expansionist as others have done, remains to be seen.
Apart from the ancient empires, we had the British Empire (the biggest ever known) which, due to various reasons, declined until we have virtually nothing now (and, in my opinion, is continuing to atrophy, possibly in turn becoming part of the EC 'empire').
Then there was the German Third Reich which, as we know, expanded rapidly and contracted equally rapidly.
The present world 'empire' is, of course, the USA. Still doing well and the most powerful nation on earth. There's no reason to think that it will continue to dominate the world, though. Nothing lasts for ever.
Yes, I believe that China will be the next superpower. Whether or not they choose to become expansionist as others have done, remains to be seen.
Like you haven't seen japanese porn Bernard
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