The end of the war in Asia: Lecture on Japan's escape in the defeat

The end of the war in Asia: Lecture on Japan's escape in the defeat

In the last year of the Second World War, the Japanese troops fought to exhaustion against the US units, especially on the Marianen, the Philippines, IWO Jima and Okinawa. Despite the progressive American troops, Japan was not yet approaching the end of his resistance in May 1945. These and other aspects of the end of the war in Asia were examined by Takuma Melber, a research assistant at Heidelberg Center for Transcultural Studies. Melber deals with topics such as colonialism and imperialism in Asia as well as the history of the Japanese crews and the world wars in the Asian-Pacific area. His lecture is part of the series "1945: Epoch threshold and space", which uses socially relevant research issues to the public.

The format of the Ruperto Carola Ring lecture aims to show thematic focus on the history of the end of the war. Here, both retrospective interpretations and the reconstruction of human experiences are discussed. The historian Prof. Dr. Manfred Berg designed this series, which takes place on the assembly in the auditorium of the old university at 6.15 p.m. The records can be called up later on Heionline.

The use of the atomic bombs

The historical context of the lectures is shaped in particular by the atomic bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These took place on August 6 and 9, 1945 and were used by the United States as a means to force Japan to surrender to unconditional surrender. The bombs bore the names "Little Boy" and "Fat Man". An estimated between 90,000 and 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and between 60,000 and 80,000 in Nagasaki. Immediate destruction and long -term health consequences, such as cancer and other radiation -related diseases, led to a painful inheritance for the survivors, known as "Hibakusha".

The decisions of the US government, especially under President Harry S. Truman, are always accompanied by ethical debates on these missions. Truman approved the use of the atomic bomb to avoid other American losses and end the war faster. The explosions led to massive destruction and left far -reaching ecological and social consequences that also concerned the following generations.

episodes for Japan and the world

The surrender of Japan finally took place on August 15, 1945, with the formal signing on September 2, 1945. After the war, Japan in his constitution of 1946 undertook to never wage war again and to reject nuclear weapons. Discussions about the need for these principles were initiated in the context of the nuclear upgrade in North Korea. In addition, shortly after the bombing of Nuclear weapons that revive again, in 2016, there were debates in the United States shortly after the bombing of Nuclear.

The atomic bombing, which are undoubtedly considered a decisive factor for the end of World War II, even led to a worldwide rethink in terms of nuclear weapons and the nuclear arms, which also shapes geopolitical tensions up to the present.