Japanese View
John A. Scarritt
Does anyone have data on the japanese view of the final days of the war,
particularly the A-Bomb attacks? I am particularly interrested in any
statements by Hirohito.
JAS
Erik Shilling
In <5b1mqu$s...@portal.gmu.edu> "John A. Scarritt"
<scar...@surfer.pcsonline.com> writes:
>
Japanese statemenst on A bomb -- Saburo Sakai, in an interview made the
statement that had he been ordered to deliver the A bomb he would have
done so. He further stated that the enola Gay crew wer quite corageous
in that thye wer unescorted and a lone bomber.
Erik Shilling
Thomas Hamilton
The definitive work on this subject is published in English as
_Japan's Longest Day_ by Kodansha. The authors are a group of
historians known as the Pacific War Research Society. They
interviewed everyone involved in Japan except Hirohito.
Another good book available in English is _Journey to the Missouri_
by a foreign office official named (I think) Kase.
As I recall, there is a statement Hirohito made to the occupation
authorities which was not published until recently. It doesn't
contradict anything in JLD.
You can also check the depositions various Japanese leaders made to
the occupation. These were translated to support the war crimes
tribunal. I think Kido's diary has also been translated although
I don't know if it has been published.
But definitely start with JLD. It is widely available in the Kodansha
paperback and tells a gripping story well. It is one of the best
books about WWII.
CDB100620
Kase worked for Herman Kahn of the Hudson Institute in the preparation of
his study of the early 1970s titled "The Emerging Japanese Superstate"
(which led to a book by the same name). He has been an adviser to many
American companies trying to do business in Japan. Over the years, his
politics have become increasingly nationalistic. He represents a growing
segment of intellectual opinion in Japan that views WWII as not a shameful
episode in Japanese history but a glorious one. He now denies the
Japanese military committed atrocities (although he used to remain silent
on the subject), and believes the most publicized of these, the Nanking
"Incident," was largely the creation of Chinese and American
propagandists.