The Pacific War during WW-2 - was a
war amongst the Colonial Powers and had its roots in the Great
Depression - with these Colonial Powers imposing high tarriffs and
protectionist policies over their extended domains. All the
territories affected were colonial extensions except for China
which was slowly carved up by the European and Japanese
powers.
It is not surprising that the colonial thinking extended with the
drafting of the Potsdam Declaration as a demand on
the Japanese War Government to surrender - with racist
overtones.
Following the defeat of Adolf Hitler, the Potsdam Conference was called as a
result of the realisation by the US Political Leadership that after
all their efforts to liberate Europe, the chances
"...... was that France would go
Communistic, so would Germany, Italy and the Scandinavians, and
there was grave doubt about England staying sane. "
"The Potsdam Conference, a meeting of the victorious leaders of the
Allies in Europe, attempted to confront the delicate balance of power of the
opposing governmental structures, democracy and communism. Held in
an unbombed suburb of Berlin, it commenced July 17 lasting to
August 2.
Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill, and President Truman began the conference for their
respective countries.
On the agenda was the partitioning of the postwar world and
resolving the problems of the war in the Far East. This included
hammering out the details regarding the division of Germany; the
movement of populations from Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Italy;
the creation of a Council of Foreign Ministers to administer the
agreed upon zones of occupation; and issuing a proclamation demanding
unconditional surrender from the Japanese
government. Truman, despite his relative
inexperience in dealing with foreign diplomats, was holding a trump
card that would give him confidence in making demands of the other
leaders. . .the atomic bomb. The most powerful and destructive
armament to date, the atomic bomb was solely in the hands of the
United States government."
On the Japanese side, there was
ongoing internal debate between the War Cabinet and the Pacifist
Members of Government - some of whom were advisors to the Japanese
Emperor - resulting in recorded attempts at clandestine negotiations in
Switzerland between the US O.S.S and Japanese
negotiators being made through the Russian Government, who had
maintained a Treaty of Neutrality and Non-Aggression with Japan
throughout WW-2.
Unfortunately, Stalin had his own political ambitions and agenda,
and did not convey the early acceptance of the Japanese Emperor's
acceptance to a negotiated surrender, and resulted in the
first A-Bomb falling on Hiroshima of 6 August
1945.
On 9 August 1945. Russia broke its long held Treaty of
Non-Aggression and declared war on Japan during the closing moments
of WW-2, after the first A-Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Co-incidentally, the second atomic bombing with an H-Bomb
was dropped on Nagasaki on 9 August 1945.
The US Government had justified the use of the A-Bomb on a large
civilian population center with a significant military presence so
as to show the destructive impact to the Japanese War Government,
and force it to accept an unconditional surrender, and at the same
time save the lives of countless US soldiers in an invasion of
Japan - with estimates of a million casualties.
Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the Japanese capitulation with
the acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration, the justification of the use of the A-Bomb
and the suppression of the truth of the war crimes from
both the warring sides had helped in the perpetuation of the
Japanese attitude to this day.
Out of self-interests, the US government compromised its moral
position.
"Truth-telling is important. The
war-crimes trials following the Pacific War, however, departed from
the truth in significant respects: U.S. officials suppressed
evidence relating to the emperor's war guilt, to Japanese
biological warfare (so that the U.S. military could gain access to
Japanese experimental data), and to the war crimes of the Allies.
Much data on Japanese atrocities was produced, but its impact on
the Japanese public was surely lessened by the fact that the trials
represented victors' justice. A few major Japanese war criminals
were executed, but many of the guilty were soon back in control.
"
The manner in which Japanese
surrender was accepted is probably the cause of the current
attitudes of the Japanese Officials and Society towards their
obligation to the International Community in giving a sincere
apology, renouncing of its War Criminals, and to the sensitive
subject of Post-war Compensation.
With the pre-war structure of the Japanese societal elites -
(including the Emperor) - remaining largely in place, it is not
surprising that even some
Class A War Criminals - and others who had supported the war
efforts - continue in influential governmental positions to mould
and guide the present day Japanese policies and
attitudes.
