here in japan everyone wants the rest of the world to apologize for anything and everything ... while the government and its people remain blameless and without offering apologies to other countries for their past atrocities that FAR outweigh the number of deaths from Hiroshima and Nagasaki .. selective memory and selective pity there is never a "we are sorry for Pearl Harbor" day or recollection in light of this all summer long vigilance that continues on and on and on ... perhaps after the centurians of these happenings pass on, the remnant will tire of such a facade that does nothing more than serve ones own selfish purposes while we must recall historical wrongs ... let us remember the rights and BOTH SIDES of any story ... which usually both sides, were at the wrong is it terrible the collateral damage? the lives lost? of course! but so it is with any war in any country at any time in history or the future ask the philipinos and chinese and even japan naturals long dead of how it felt to be butchered for centuries at the hands of the "then" Japan regimes Solution over Apology ... that in itself would be an ultimate "i am sorry" .. action not just words.

oboi, I appreciate your self deprecating attitude however Hiroshima Nagasaki atrocities were of disproportionate force and they were aimed at peaceful population of these two regions. Pearl Harbor was a military base, WWII, military plains bombing a US air force base and the Japanese plains showed up on the US radars, why were they ignored? Are you sure it was not done deliberately in order to test the atomic bomb? It was absolutely unjustifiable and inexcusable! There is never a good reason to use an atomic bomb on a peaceful population!!

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a legitimate military action targeting warships, aircraft, etc, and not civilians - unlike the American attack on Iraq which specifically targeted the civilian infrastructure of the nation. To date, estimated million Iraqis have been killed since the American invasion. The atom bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have nothing to do with ending the war, since Japan was on her knees and ready to sue for peace. The real purpose for dropping the two bombs was to test the effectiveness of the two different types of nuclear devicess on cities filled with human beings. If you notice that the first Americans to rush to Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not medical personnel to help the suffering people, but nuclear technicians to evaluate the killing effectiveness of the bombs. The talk about America trying to impress Stalin is just eyewash to conceal the real purpose for the bombs - tests on real cities. There is no need for an American apology. What is needed is an admission of truth by the Americans as to the real reason they dropped the bomb.

Apologize to the most barbarous nation of the world? Their crimes to humanity far exceed the crimes of Nazi Germany: • The rape of Nanking in which 300,000 civilians were killed and another 20,000 to 80,000 women were raped. • Zhong Ma prison and Unit 731 where thousands of human victims called "maruta" were vivisected. • Chichi-jima where POWs were cannibalized by Yoshio Tachibana and his officers. • General Shiro Ishii and Dr. Masaji Kitano who conducted chemical, biological, and anatomical experimentaion on live unsuspecting captives. • Kyushu Imperial University in Fukuoka where Dr. Ishiyama Fukujiro, Dr. Hiroko Goichi, Tsutsui Shizuko, and others who in 1945 practiced vivisections on captured American flyers. Cannibalism also suspected. • The Kempeitai soldiers who brutally raped and sexually tortured their captive "comfort women" by night and brutally tortured male captives by day. • The 400,000 or more Chinese deaths in villages intentionally afflicted by clothing and food drops infected with cholera, anthrax, and the plague. No, there is no need to apologize to the perpetrators of the most barbarous and inhumane "Doctors of Depravity" in history. Our bombs saved the lives of millions of Americans, Brits, Aussies, Russians, Chinese, Filipinos, Mongolians, Korean, and yes, even Japanese. In the words of their own Dr. Ishiyama Fukujiro, prior to committing suicide rather than facing his war crimes charges for his human experiments at Kyushu Imperial University, "I do not know how to apologize." America should remember those words when they think of the hundreds of thousands who suffered and died as a result of Japanese crimes against humanity. Our heartfelt thanks go to all who have served; and, especially, to those victimized by Japanese atrocities. Ron at: http://sleeplessandtired.com

I sincerely hope that the next time any government wants to use certain types of weapons in warfare, they should throughly research whether there are any health effects on the civilians (especially if it may last for years and decades after the war). Radiation is dangerous and so is pesticides (about Agent Orange in Vietnam)...civilians who had nothing to do with the war, especially those who may have been born years or decades after it, do not deserve to suffer from the harmful effects of radiation from the atomic bombs or from birth defects from pesticides in Vietnam for that matter.

Usa know about Japan plan to attack Pearl Harbour infront...thats why they remove some air.cariers and other boats out! Japan is clearly quilty side for starting war and also they been so bad of treating prisoners of war.They commitet unseen brutal crimes in WW2. As for nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki-it was a bad thing to do to! There is few reasons for it: Russians been prepare themselfs to attack Japan(it was planed to start just 2 monts after bombs are droped) on their soil and also, Usa like to test new weapons and show the world what they are capable of...First time a attack is waged far from front lines and target was a pure civilian population.Let me remaind you that 65% of those who die in both attacks where kids under age of 9! Humanity never seen a crime like this ever commited in history! This wrong doing will haunt Usa to the very end and it will be not forgoten or forgiven in the minds of Japanise-ever! Usa is aware of this and they try by any means, not to loose "friendship" with Japan but in next 20-30 years Japan will be independent and aligned themself to China-Asia(do not be suprised) and real fight for Usa to survive will start.China will pass Usa by 10 to 30x of GDP in next 20-30 years and absorb Japan and Asia (its happening now). Looking at all of this for Usa to survive will be a friendship with Russia .Russia is a key state for Usa security in future.,,Droping nuclear bombs was a terrible thing to do and a huge blunder for Usa future security.Apology? Usa can say sorry but we all know there is not any valid apology for this ...at least not in Japanise mentality ever. If they are free(inside Usa -outside Russia) I am sure they will hit Usa with nuclear attack in no time to revenge what was done to them.To be honest,nuc.weapons are last resort to live or die wich clearly wasn't the case for Usa becouse Japan was finish by Russiansin all Asia (Mandjuria,Sahkalin,Kuril irelands etc) and Usa by blokade..Good luck Usa..Thank you!

If anyone is interested in the topic, there is a documentary about Macnamara where he amongst other things discusses Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What was even more suprising was that HALF (yes, half!) of all japanese cities were deliberately firebombed. Americans knew full well that they were all mostly comprised of wooden houses, so firebombing was just as destructive as atomic bombing. Half of Japan plus what they did in Germany... Macnamara himself admitted that in any other country under other circumstances he along with his chronies would be charged with war crimes. On a different note: did Russia ever apologise for Red Terror, NKVD-murders and deportations of whole ethnic groups, not to mentione the millions of russian murdered from 1917 until at least 1953? Guess not. Apologies are best made by anyone else but the one demanding them.

This is just another non story by the Russian government to make the US look bad.

At the start of 1945, the United States was at war with both Germany and Japan. The United States made the decision to fly 2 bombers to Japan and drop 2 nuclear bombs on that country. Although Germany surrendered 3 months prior to that bombing, why is it America chose to use a nuclear weapon on Japan and not Germany? This question has absolutely nothing to do with a discussion around the use of nuclear weapons but is about the choice of where those bombs were dropped in the first half of 1945. In addition, why did the United States, under US Executive Order 9066 dated February19, 1942 confiscate the homes, businesses and property of 120,000 American Citizens of Japanese descent and remove them to concentration camps in the western United States and not do the same to American Citizens of German descent? The confiscation of property and internment of American Japanese in concentration camps followed the same pattern the Germans were using under German Aryanization Laws such as the Verordnung zur Ausschaltung de Jusden aus dem deutschen Wirtschaftsleben Regulation of November 12, 1938 confiscating the property of German Jews. If the United States Government was following the procedures used by Germany 4 years earlier regarding the German Jews, it seems the US Government must have at least had a discussion regarding American Germans as it seems to be a glaring question. So bottom line, why did the United States move American Japanese to concentration camps and drop 2 nuclear bombs on Japan and not move American Germans to concentration camps and drop 2 nuclear bombs on Germany? In January, 1945, 8 months prior to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the United States was at war with both countries and had the bombers and the bombs tested and available for dropping nuclear bombs on both Germany and Japan. Someone please explain why the United States selectively chose the Japanese to target and not the Germans....

 To say the US owes Japan an apology for never surrendering until forced to, after having been decimated by firebombing and a second nuclear device is to deny history, and the disdain the Japanese government had for even its own people.

"From the invasion of China in 1937 to the end of World War II, the Japanese military regime murdered near 3,000,000 to over 10,000,000 people, most probably almost 6,000,000 Chinese, Indonesians, Koreans, Filipinos, and Indochinese, among others, including Western prisoners of war. This democide was due to a morally bankrupt political and military strategy, military expediency and custom, and national culture (such as the view that those enemy soldiers who surrender while still able to resist were criminals). "

 After bitter opposition on Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Guam, the Philippines, etc etc etc, fighting to the last man, and never surrendering, at the cost of countless thousands of soldiers and civilians caught in the crossfire, an end was in sight, but never came until the Japanese were absolutely forced, on the island of Japan.

Ask the Koreans, Chinese, Burmese, Filipinos, and countless other civilian populations who were brutalized, enslaved, tortured, starved, and murdered, whether they think an apology is in order.
The answer will be a resounding  no!

 Across the theater of war the Japanese brutalized, enslaved, starved and tortured POWs.
They were guilty of gross war crimes and acts against humanity, and were determined not to surrender.
1,200 Korean forced laborers were used to help build the Japanese defenses on Tarawa.
On Tarawa 727 Navy and 984 Marines died.
The 4,500 Japanese fought almost to the last man, exacting a heavy toll on the United States Marine Corps.
American casualties on the beach were so severe that over a hundred corpses were never repatriated. Staff Sgt Norman T. Hatch, a combat cameraman who filmed the bodies on the beach, produced images that were so disturbing that he had to obtain permission from President Franklin Roosevelt before they could be shown to the public.

 Only one Japanese officer, 16 enlisted men and 129 Koreans were alive at the end of the battle of Tarawa. Of the 4,836 Japanese and Korean laborers that made up the garrison, 4,690 were killed. The 2nd Marine Division suffered 894 (48 officers and 846 men) killed in action, with another 84 (8 officers and 76 men) later dying of their wounds. A further 2,188 (102 officers and 2,086 men) men were wounded. Of the roughly 12,000 2nd Marine Division Marines on Tarawa, 3,166 officers and men became casualties. Nearly all of these casualties were suffered in the 76 hours between H-Hour+10 Minutes, 0910 20 November, and the island of Betio being declared secure at 1330 23 November.