Dropping The Atomic Bombs Justified Essay

In the summer of 1945, the United States ravaged the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with newly developed, top secret atomic bombs. In the many years following this event, arguments have transpired as to whether this action was ethical, and whether it was really necessary to end World War II quickly. However, due to the wartime situation and Japan’s extreme cruelty, the United States were predominantly justified in their decision to drop the atomic bombs. Dropping the atomic bombs in Japan was a strategic method to finish the Second World War, and to avenge the Japanese with minimal casualties.
Since Japan acted brutally toward the Allies, it was absolutely virtuous to act brutally back toward them in order to show them who we were, what we could do, and how hard we would fight to purge the world of injustices. For example, during Japan’s quest to take over China, it executed unspeakable horrors upon the citizens of Nanking, the captured Chinese capital, in what is now known as the “Nanking Massacre” or the “Rape of Nanking”. As conveyed in the names themselves,
“Invasion of Japan” (document 5) lists US military personnels’ estimates that there would be almost 3,000,000 American casualties and 10,000,000 Japanese casualties in a full blown attack of mainland Japan. This event, dubbed Operation Downfall, would’ve been far more destructive than the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa combined, which cost the Allies 75,000 soldiers, and cost Japan 120,000 casualties. In anticipation for the invasion, approximately 500,000 Purple Hearts were manufactured to be awarded to the American casualties. On the other hand, there were almost 200,000 Japanese casualties from the atomic bomb impacts, which is far less than 10,000,000. Bombing Japan instead of full out attacking them spared 12,500,000 lives of both Americans, and Japanese