How Japan has overcome Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Author: Dinusha Samanmali Rajapaksha
The legendary cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Japan is a highly remarkable city in the Pacific War. Europeans and the United States of America paid their whole attention to Japan after the surrender of Germany, in July 1945. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the significant Japanese cities in the history of World War II. Both cities are considered important, especially for the military. Hiroshima, the city which held the army headquarters, the communication centers, and assembly areas for troops got the biggest attention from the allied parties in World War II.
Nagasaki had the best natural harbor on the Southern Japanese home island of Kyushu. The city of Nagasaki is so important for various kinds of industries including the production of ordnance, ships, military, and other war materials. Paying more attention to these cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not a surprising fact concerning their value.
The allies turned to Japan
Defeating Germany in July 1945, the allies had their full attention over Japan. In July 1945 the American scientist who worked on the ‘Manhattan Project’ successfully invented the atomic bomb after the surrender of Nazi, Germany in May. Japan wasn’t ready to surrender and the USA decided to drop two atomic bombs, first was released on August 06 in 1945 to the land of Hiroshima. It was the largest destructive activity that happened in World War II. The belligerents were the United States and Japan. William s. Parsons, Paul Tibbets, Charles Sweeny, and FederickAsbworth were the commanders and the leaders who joined the contention, and Shunroku Hadathe major guider in Japan.
Casualties and losses
On 06, August, at 8.15 p.m. the crew of the B-29 Bober Enola Gayreleased the first atomic bomb named ‘Little – Boy’ which contained15,000 tons of TNT over the city of Hiroshima in Japan. There were 01 British, 07 Duchess, and 12 American prisoners, 20000 soldiers, 70000- 126000 civilians killed by the ‘Little Boy’. After 03 days of the attack, US allies targeted the land from 185 miles southwest of Hiroshima named Nagasaki; one of the major cities. On 09, August in 1945, at 11.02 a.m. the explosive, Plutonium bomb, named as ‘Fat-Man’ which weighed nearly 10000 pounds and capableof producing 22 kiloton blast was dropped over Nagasaki. The destruction was huge but not more than the destruction in Hiroshima. The ‘Fat-man’ was able to demolish 30% of the city and there were nearly 60000-80000 death rolls
Effects of Nuclear bombs
Nuclear weapons are responsible formillions of uncountable death rolls and the long-term severe effects to mankind in Japan. The radiations from the nuclear bombs generated the high percentage of cancer effects and long-term radiation effects. Even the children which are born after the explosion carried the effects. After the huge destruction, Japan agreed to accept the terms and conditions of surrender on 14, August.
Reconstruction Japan
The most wonderful fact about Japan is immediate reconstruction to achieve the tag of a developed nation after the biggest destruction in World War II. The Japanese economy recovered in September 1945 when General Douglac MacArthur tookthe charge from the supreme command of the allied powers and set on foot to reform the novel Japan. He is the key figure of the developed and novel Japan. The record period of Japan is between the post World War and the Cold War, within this period Japanese created the foundation to stabilize the world'ssecond-largest economy. As the initial step, the avocation of Japan divided into three main fractions: the primitive attempt to punish and reform Japan, rebuild the economy and form the formal peace and treaty and alliance.
The initial steps of developing
The initial steps involved lots of fundamental changes in Japanese society: political, social, and economic. The political leadership was prohibited for the Army officers, Creation of beneficial land reforms to the farmers; reduction in the dominion and authority of the rich landowners were key steps. General MacArthur tried to build up the free-market capitalist system within Japan. The most important fact was introducing the parliament system instead of the Monarchy, which promoted the rights ofwomen. General Macarthur and Emperor Hirohito made some policies to eradicate the power, political struggles, and social struggles from Japan. It is called the ‘reverse Course’.
In this phase, they established the economic rehabilitation of Japan by introducing the new tax reforms. In the third stage of the occupation, began the establishment of peace treaty. As a result of the peace treaty, in September1951, 52 nations met in San Francisco to discuss the treaty, and fortunately, 49 were signed and promised to deal their business with Japan. It just created the path to build the miracle economy and to be the second-largest economy in the world.
References
Edgar A. Porter & Ran Ying. Porter, Japanese reflections on World War II and the American occupation (Amsterdam University Press.) (2018)
Edgar A. Porter & Ran Ying. Porter, Japanese reflections on World War II and the American occupation (Amsterdam University Press.) (2018)
Japan decides on war, The Origins of the Second World War, 162-164 (2014)