Comments by "RiteMo LawBks" (@ritemolawbks8012) on "AJ+"
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It was mostly the firebombing of Tokyo and the two atomic bombs. After the Potsdam Declaration, the Japanese were negotiating with the Soviet Union regarding the term "unconditional," and whether or not Hirohito would be allowed to remain on the throne. The Soviet Union agreed to enter before the first nuclear weapon was developed. The Soviet war declaration only expedited the surrender. Obviously, Hirohito was allowed to remain on the throne.
The intent of Truman and the UK may have been to use it as a demonstration to Stalin and to stop Japan, China, and Korea from becoming split between communist and non-communist, but the Japanese Empire in the Pacific was already defeated by the US-led alliance along with the British Empire and the Republic of China (present-day Taiwan).
When the Emperor surrendered, he said it was because of the "cruel bombs," not because of the Soviet Union, or additional enemies. The Soviet Union mostly defeated Germany. That's why it took most of East Europe. The US and European allies were mostly responsible for defeating the Japanese and Spanish Empires. Hence the reason America, the UK, and France have a regional presence with former colonies in the Asian-Pacific region.
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Today it would be considered an international war crime and targeted toward mostly civilians. We have a better understanding of radiation sickness, cancer, and environmental contamination that was unknown prior to the 1950s.
If the WWII roles and victories were reversed, resulting in a Japanese victory over the Allies (in spite of the nuclear weapons), there should be a case proving that atomic weapons were outlawed. In 1945, the closest treaty, convention, or analogous agreement would be the ban on chemical weapons. In WWI, chemical weapons were developed and then outlawed.
In conclusion, if the atomic bombs were determined to be "prohibited chemical weapons," then Hiroshima could have been a war crime. In spite of that, it would have been difficult locating an impartial tribunal because Japan had its own biological and chemical weapons labs. When Japan left the League of Nations, it showed complete disregard for international law.
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