Pearl Harbor: USA Enters WWS and Nuclear war in Japan - Research Paper Example

? Pearl Harbor incident has been the most significant and controversial war attack incident in the history ofUnited States. Pearl Harbor attack was not sudden or a reaction of persistently declined negotiations by Japan, but it was a long term reaction based on numerous historical incidents. The controversial state of Manchuria conquered by Japan from China became the key disputable matter between Japan and US in 1931. Since there onwards, Japan intended to take control of the rest of China. Subsequently, Japan became an anti-peace country and allied with Nazi-Germany, which was already invading War on different countries. In 1940, Japan was viewed with suspicion and became un-trustable for the countries it traded with. Due to Germany’s pro-war perspective, Japan was also considered a threat for the security of its neighboring countries. Thus, in 1940 Japan invaded and conquered Indo- China. Japan’s intensions were vivid as it wanted to invade rich mineral resources territories under its expert rule and for the same reason it needed US approval or a general agreement, which it did not obtain and as a result; Japan attacked US naval base. Under the command of General Tojo, Japanese army was prepared for the Second World War. However, Japanese president disapproved the idea of war and insisted on ceasing war from the emperor. The Japanese authorities were divided into two groups one favored war against US, Hong Kong, Thailand, China and Malaysia, and the other advocated peace talks with US for the sake of natural resources. The relationship between Japan and America were tensed in the beginning of twentieth century and it worsened in the year 1940 due to Japan’s interest in East Asia and invasion in Vietnam. Hence, US solidified all the assets of Japan and also closed an oil trade deal in 1941. The tension between the two countries worsened and Japan took an initiative to settle the dispute, the negotiations started on 5th November and both state secretary met, but US secretary Hull rejected Japanese plan to resolve the dispute. Thus, Japan under the regime of General Tojo, came up with a fresh plan and it offered cease of invasion in South East Asia and South Pacific regions. In addition to it, it also offered to vacant Vietnam completely. US rejected the second proposal of Japan as well, as it absolutely wanted to eradicate Japan’s influence and invasion in China. Moreover, when the negotiations failed between the two countries, Japan withdrew its settlement tactic and planned to invade Thailand as its next target for natural resources. Since Japan is poor in natural resources; therefore, it completely relied on neighboring countries to obtain them. Invading and conquering these states via military was acutely planned for future resource management. Thailand invasion plan was revealed and US moved forward on 6th December 1941 and requested the emperor of Japan to pull out its army from China and nearby territories. In response, Japan already bitter by US negotiation declines, attacked US naval base ‘Pearl Harbor’ (Hawaii) on 7th December morning. The surprise attack took its tool; an approximate of 2,403 died, 1178 people were injured, 1103 sailors died and mass destruction left US army in an insubstantial state (Goodwin, 57). At Oahu, 340 airplanes were targeted. Six ships were smashed and two sunk with heavy loss of life. On the other hand, Japan lost twenty seven airplanes and five midget submarines, which were trying to intrude the dock and commence torpedoes. US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor was a threat to Japanese naval army. Therefore, Admiral Yamamoto designed a surprise attack plan which made the US fleet useless for its defense. The attack was formed into two waves: the first attack was air at 7:45 am, which destructed all the air and naval craft docked on the harbor and the second was a marine: two hour attack, which destroyed eighteen ships and left the US marine in a fragile state. The East of Ford Island was under attack and the navy yard was in the West, which became useful after the attack against Japan in the counterstrike. Luckily, fuel storage tanks, aircraft carriers and submarines were not targeted however; battleship force was completely destroyed to cease the US interference in Japanese Plans for China and other countries. Large number of air force and naval craft was destroyed and due to this attack US became a part of World War II. The response from US army was as forceful and destructive as it could be, and on 8th December US attacked Japan. The most shocking aspect was Japan’s sudden attack in between of negotiations declared by America. As international law abides all the countries to inform before invasion or any air attack, in the case of Pearl Harbor it was sudden. On the other hand, Japanese authorities proclaim that the 14-part war attack message was sent to US secretary, but US authorities proclaim that it was received after the attack. The declaration made by both countries can be refutable as US became super power and its influence increased in the international arena. After the attack, Martial law was declared in the state and all the airports and landing zones were taken over by the military to impede further invasion of Japanese aircrafts. General Walter C. announced martial law in Hawaii and activated curfew in the state, which forbid the locomotion of news, mail and initiated blackouts to prevent from further destructions. Government buildings were transformed into military camps. All Japanese residents were moved to detention center and their trade was shut down. Suspicion and anxiety among the residents grew to an edge and the whole country was in the state of fury over such an attack. On 8th December, US President Roosevelt and Britain declared war on Japan and US president called the day of attack on pearl harbor “a date which will live in infamy……….” ( Suriano, 52). In the Second World War Japan emerged as most competent and aggressive state in respect to war skills and military efficacy. Therefore, Japanese steadfastness in war was admirable. Although, Japanese nation faced paucity and shortage of food, but its two million military was well trained equipped for the war. The two countries were face to face in war since Pearl Harbor attack, but the four year war was coming to a dead end, where Japan was not ready to step back. Alongside America had taken control of Okinawa and Iwo Jima and was fiercely destructing its numerous cities. Since 1940, US was in the struggle to obtain nuclear power technology and in 1945 conducted successful nuclear test in new Mexico. Hence, with the raging technology US military was in full zoom to turn victory around, but the horrible consequences of nuclear weapon were not measured yet. Later on, President Harry Truman took decision advocated by US military advisers to use nuclear weapon to end the war. This important and critical decision was kept under consideration for a long time. Hence, Japan was offered an unconditional surrender and truce and if it denies; it then would face limitless destruction. However, nuclear bomb attack was not mentioned in the warning declaration. Japan was also short on resources wanted truce, but with some conditions. Since Japan was a resource locked land it completely relied on its allies for basic survival. Hence, it also showed inclination towards conditional surrender. Regardless of these hints President Harry Truman took a severe and continuous decision to destruct two main cities of Japan. The first attack was on Hiroshima (a city of 320,000 residents) at 2:45 a.m on 6th August 1945; through a plane named as Enola Gay. In a split of second, the bomb blasted in mid air and seventy thousand Japanese residents were perished by the five ton bomb. And due to atomic radiation one million people were burnt and faced severe skin issues. The blast was equivalent to fifteen thousand TNT and over the area of two miles, the fires were produced via radiation. Due to radiation many thousands were poisoned and injured then died due to worsened and radiate surrounding. People in the nearby region were disfigured, their faces were decomposed and their land was severely infected, position was spread in the air. On 9th August, second attack took place after two days of Hiroshima attack. Nuclear bomb was dropped from air in Nagasaki and eighty thousand people were vaporized by the lethal attack. On 14th August 1945, Japan officially declared surrender and faced severe sanctions (Seaton, 34). President Truman proclaimed that his action to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were purely justified and in accord to military objective. However, Critics and historians have differently interpreted the actions of US government; though brutal and irrelevant, but nuclear bomb had long term outcomes. From international perspective, The Second World War needed a country which could be considered supreme power amongst the rest, hence; US nuclear bomb attacks were only to depict power to the equivalent force; Soviet Union. Along with it, the prolong war with Japan needed a swift and victorious end. The skilled force of Japan was a threat and US measured more human loss by invading Japan. Therefore, it used an ultimate source of weapon to control the rampant Japan. Nevertheless, US with the inauguration of Atomic bomb technology opened the doors of cold war. These attacks were planned at the time when US and Soviet Union relations were terse due to Eastern Europe and US used this diplomatic monopoly to win the psychological war between the two supreme powers. However, instead it became the pioneer for nuclear weapon race and yet US is the only country which has used nuclear weapons in a war. An observer and survivor from the Hiroshima bomb attack described the conditions of the people who faced this destructive weapon and it hazardous outcome. He informed that their skins were black and their hair completely vanished due to fire, they were hung in front and their bodies were bent forward. The people around were so called survivors, but faced radiation poison and injuries. These people were walking ghosts, they were neither alive nor dead and these people were dying along the road side (Lifton, 27). Another Nagasaki survivor described his witnessed devastation. He saw the pumpkin field which was full and thick before the blow and the blow wiped the land from the crop, leaving a women’s head lifeless as her eyes were burnt due to radiation and only black lifeless holes were left (Matsumoto,152). The horrification of war and nuclear attacks are far more destructive than the primitive beneficial objectives of any nation. Hence, human kind is much more worthy than any international or national objective of any country. The mass destruction caused by US in Japan can never be justified as it launched a pattern for horrible defeat, a method of war which leaves no one in the end to judge. Pearl Harbor incident was equally saddening, but US waged war against Japan as a result. In the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the immense human loss showed the most atrocious side of human kind. Conclusively, one should always learn from the horrification of war and should always condemn such actions of inhumanity as they never end in gain, but always bring long lasting pain for the nations. Works Cited: Goodwin, Nathan D. Hastings at War, 1939-1945. Chichester, West Sussex, England: Phillimore, 2005. Print. Top of Form Lifton, Robert J. Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima. New York: Random House, 1968. Print. Bottom of Form Top of Form Matsumoto, Fujie Urata . "Story." Bulletion of the Atomic Scientists. may 1951: volume 7, no. 5. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. Read More