Japan
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Introduction John Morrison Birch (1918–1945) occupies an unusual place in American history. A Baptist missionary turned U.S. Army intelligence officer in China during World War II, his life bridged the spheres of religion, geopolitics, and war. Though he died at just 27 years old, Birch became a symbolic figure in early Cold War discourse when…
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Following the Hiroshima bombing on August 6, the Soviet declaration of war and the Nagasaki bombing on August 9, the Emperor’s speech was broadcast at noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, 1945, and did reference the atomic bombs as a reason for the surrender. The broadcast was recorded a day earlier but was broadcast…
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On 9 August 1945, a B-29 named Bock’s Car lifted off from Tinian and headed toward the primary target: Kokura Arsenal, a massive collection of war industries adjacent to the city of Kokura. The primary target was the city of Kokura, where the Kokura Arsenal was located, and the secondary target was Nagasaki, where two…
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On August 6, 1945, the world witnessed the devastating power of nuclear warfare for the first time when the United States dropped an atomic bomb, code-named “Little Boy,” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This event marked a significant turning point in World War II and had profound implications for international relations, warfare, and ethics.…
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In the West, when we think about World War II, we predominantly think about the war against the Nazis. However, there were quite a large number of Europeans who were fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. We also often forget that the Japanese Imperial Army, Navy, and Air Force were just as brutal and sometimes…
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When we hear about the evil during World War 2, it is mostly about the evil committed by the Nazis, and it is important to be reminded of that. However, some acts of the Imperial Japanese Army were just as evil, if not more evil than that of the Nazis. In 1945, as a first-year…
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Nobuo Fujita was a Japanese naval officer and aviator who holds a unique place in World War II history—as the only person to conduct an aerial bombing of the continental United States. His story, however, goes far beyond this singular event, evolving into a remarkable tale of reconciliation, peace, and personal transformation. The War Years…
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On November 15, 1941—just three weeks before Pearl Harbor—General George C. Marshall spoke candidly in an off-the-record briefing with reporters. “If war with the Japanese does come, we’ll fight mercilessly,” he declared. “Flying Fortresses will be dispatched immediately to set the paper cities of Japan on fire. There won’t be any hesitation about bombing civilians—it…
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During the Second World War, numerous war crimes were committed by various nations, but some of the most horrific atrocities were perpetrated by the Japanese Army. Their occupation of conquered territories was marked by extreme brutality, with estimates suggesting that up to 14 million people perished as a result of Japanese war crimes. One of…
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The Santo Tomas Internment Camp, located in Manila, Philippines, was one of the largest civilian internment camps established by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. It was used to imprison Allied civilians, mostly Americans, British, Australians, and other nationalities, who were residing in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded in 1941. The camp,…
History of Sorts 