Why was dropping nuclear bomb on Japaneses cities not considered a war crime?

Question

In general......if you nuke a civilian population...should that not be a war crime?

Why is shooting some civilian or a few civilians a war crime but nuking millions is not?

clearly it was not an attack on a military target.

Answer 1

Back in those days we ahd a Supreme Court that knew the difference

Answer 2

Japan was warned that we had a new devastating weapon and US gave them several days to surrender. They choose not to believe the warning and continued hostilities. Even after the first explosion at Hiroshima, the Japanese government still did not cede. Nagasaki finally convinced them that they could no longer win. International law does not now ban nuclear weapons, so how can the use of them be a war crime? I hope we never have to, but I am very glad we have them in our arsenal.

Answer 3

That war was before we had the whiny Liberal World of today. Back then it was win the War period. We dropped lots of bombs during WWII not just nukes.

Answer 4

Pearl Harbor ever heard of it

Answer 5

Both the n**i's and the Japanese had a horrible record against attacking civilians.

   The Germans bombed Britain year after year after year.

The Japanese invade China just before WWII, read about the story called The Rape of Nanking.

   Check out this website, including the photo and you'll know why we LATER a-bombed the Japanese.

   If you knew history better you wouldn't ask naive questions that always blame the Americans. You act as if what we did was unprovoked.

Answer 6

Because the act of doing it saved millions of Japanese, American, and others lives.

Answer 7

If America had lost, it would have been so adjudged by the "winners".  Just like Nuremburg.

Remember, alls fair in love and war.  Japan started it all with Pearl Harbor, committed their share of atrocities, and wasn't going down without a whole lot of trouble.

If the atom bombs saved the life of just one US serviceman ... it was worth it.

Answer 8

Nobody was going to go after the U.S. while we were the only ones with such a destructive weapon.  Add to that, after years of warfare, people were relieved it was finally and definitely over.  I believe about 200 thousand people died initially in both Japanese cities total.  I don't know how many died later from the fall out.  

I would think dropping the bombs in less populated areas would have had the same effect towards ending the war but Japan is a small densely populated country and that may not have been possible.  I assume the cities were strategically chosen because of weapons production.

Answer 9

It was a World Wide war..The world was teetering

Answer 10

The jaded answer is because winners aren't ever charged with anything. ie Revolutionary War heroes would be treasonous British citizens but we won.

The correct answer is because it isn't  There was no mistreatment of prisoners of war, no violation of conventions of warfare. In July before the bombings the United States told Japan to surrender or face utter destruction. They issued a statement that was the verbal equivalent of the middle finger. In the days before the bombings leaflets were dropped on both cities imploring civilians to leave. Then the bombs were dropped.

Both cities had important military targets leading to their being chosen.

Answer 11

Because they wouldn't give up unless we broke them into little pieces.  Plus, they were barbaric and it was the only way to teach them a final lesson.

Answer 12

War crimes are only charged on the losers of a war, by the victors of said war. Had the Japanese and the Germans won, our leaders would have been charged with war crimes. So to the victor go the spoils of war.

Answer 13

Read some history.

Millions WEREN'T nuked.

Why is it necessary to make up numbers?

Public school education, I guess.

Read, think for yourself (It doesn't hurt!)