Japan at War

Japan at WarImages from WWII

Quick Facts about Pearl Harbor

The overall death toll reached 2,350, including 68 civilians, and 1,178 injured service personnel.

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States had the strongest and largest naval fleet IN THE WORLD.

Facing East (American Viewpoints)

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

"I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire."

-- President Roosevelt

Facing West (Japanese Viewpoints)

Kamikaze Warrior pre-attackMc Arthur and Hirohito post surrender

Food for Thought

From “Record of Nagasaki A-Bomb Disaster”

"A huge fireball formed in the sky. Directly beneath it is Matsuyama township. Together with the flash came the heat rays and blast, which instantly destroyed everything on earth, and those in the area fell unconscious and were crushed to death. Then they were blown up in the air and hurled back to the ground. The roaring flames burned those caught under the structures who were crying or groaning for help.

When the fire burnt itself out, there appeared a completely changed, vast, colorless world that made you think it was the end of life on earth. In a heap of ashes lay the debris of the disaster and charred trees, presenting a gruesome scene. The whole city became extinct. Citizens who were in Matsuyama township, the hypocenter, were all killed instantly, excepting a child who was in an air-raid shelter."

Shadow Ghosts The left photograph shows

the stone steps of the main entrandce of Sumitomo Bank which is only 250 meters from the hypocenter. It is believed that a person sat down on the steps facing the direction of the hypocenter, possibly waiting for the bank to open. By a flash of the heat rays with temperatures well over a 1,000 degrees or possibly 2,000 degrees centigrade, that person was incineratied on the stone steps.

Burns on a woman 1km away from the epicenter at the time of the blast.

Constant Graveyard Twenty years after the

bombing, in the autumn of 1971, human bones were accidentally found on the grounds of Ninoshima Junior High School on Ninoshima Island, where thousands of A-bomb victims dies. Believing these bones were remains of A-bomb victims, the Hiroshima municipality dug the area for about one month and recovered the remains of 617 bodies.

Hirohito’s Undelivered Speech

“When I consider the dead and their families, I cannot repress my mental agony.”

“When I calmly consider this, the flame of anxiety burns my body. Towards the public, I am deeply ashamed of my lack of discretion... I would like to apologise to successive emperors and people by doing my best for reconstruction of the nation and people's happiness.”

Draft of undelivered speech (1948); published in the magazine Bungeishunju as quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald (11 June 2003)

Consider These Questions Does loss of life necessitate atomic

warfare? How might Japanese culture have

changed after the atomic bomb was dropped?

What changes might we expect to see in the literature post WWII knowing that pre-WWII much of it was about the beauty and timelessness of Japanese culture and society?