When the U.S. military dropped an atomic bomb and killed 400,000 people in Japan, it turned out to be a big misunderstanding?
At the end of World War II, the United States dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities in order to force Japan to surrender. With 100,000 civilian casualties, Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender, and World War II ended. But in fact, these two atomic bombs could have been dropped without being dropped.
World War II lasted six years, spread across Asia and Europe, and covered an area of 22 million square kilometers. In the end, under the hard struggle of the anti-fascist alliance, the Axis powers were defeated. After the large-scale victory of the Allies, the United States, China, and Britain signed the Potsdam Proclamation, demanding Japan's unconditional surrender and stipulating some post-surrender matters. Japan responded shortly afterwards.
Translation of the League News Agency
Then Japanese Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki held a press conference in response. The League News Agency also published a corresponding translation, which roughly reads, "This announcement is of no great significance to Japan, and there is no other choice but to ignore it completely and fight firmly to end the battle." "It's almost synonymous with rejection.
Recalling this history, former U.S. President Harry S. Truman said that if Japan did not reject the Potsdam Proclamation, the United States would not use nuclear weapons to force Japan to surrender. But according to other statements made by the Japanese emperor and prime minister after the war, it seems that the meaning is not to refuse, but to remain silent for the time being, not to discuss. Because the Soviet Union had not yet signed the Potsdam Proclamation at that time, Japan hoped to further communicate with the great powers of the Allied Powers and gain more benefits for itself.
Statement by the Prime Minister of Japan
Some people say that at that time, Japan did not choose to accept the announcement immediately because it felt that the content of the announcement did not express respect for the emperor; others said that in fact, Japan's original intention was to refuse, but it did not expect that refusal would bring such serious consequences as being attacked by the atomic bomb, so after the war, the Japanese government changed its words and tried to use it to blame the Allies.
However, according to the original text of the statement, when Japan talked about its attitude toward the Potsdam Proclamation, it used the Japanese word for "silent killing." The word "silent killing" is itself ambiguous, and even in the Japanese's own translation, it can be understood as "reject" or "no comment." This is a serious mistake by the Japanese government. When the country reaches the moment of life and death, how can it still use such ambiguous words!
Moreover, the officials of Japan's official news agency may not be able to accept the always arrogant Japanese Empire bowing to others, choosing to release a more "backbone" translation, and then through the translation of Reuters and the Associated Press, the words heard by the United States became "refusal." After the Allies were rejected, they launched successive attacks on Japan. The United States dropped atomic bombs, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, and China launched an all-out offensive. The peace that could have been bought with fewer casualties ended up carrying the lives of 100,000 innocent people.