Why America Used Nuclear Weapon on Japan?

December 7th, 1941 – this was the last day in history after which the map of the world was going to change forever. Disaster was about to strike a naval base, something no one had anticipated. On one of the battleships was an African-American cook, Doris Miller. At sunrise, he served breakfast to Navy officers and then went about collecting their laundry.

Exactly at 7:57 a.m., Doris heard a siren — the kind no one in service ever wants to hear. He rushed outside and was stunned to see the sky swarming with Japanese bomber aircraft. In the blink of an eye, it felt as though doomsday had descended upon the entire naval base. The Japanese aircraft began deliberately destroying American ships one after another.

This attack was carried out on America’s Pearl Harbor base, and today we will find out why Japan dared to attack a country like the United States, why a cook named Doris Miller was awarded America’s second-highest military honor, and why America launched a nuclear attack on Japan.

Our story begins in 1941, when World War II had been going on for three years. The U.S. had been helping China survive, putting everything on the line — yes, the same China that America openly opposes in 2025. At that time, the war had Germany and Italy on one side, and Britain, the Netherlands, and France on the other.

The U.S. had stayed neutral because of the devastation it had suffered in World War I. America wanted to keep itself completely away from wars in Europe and Asia. But there was one country constantly troubling the U.S. — Japan.

Japan had very few natural resources, so it was aggressively seizing neighboring territories to meet its needs. It had already occupied Korea, Taiwan, and large parts of China, and it also had its eyes on the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The problem was that Malaysia was a British colony, Indonesia was Dutch, and the Philippines was an American colony.

These countries strongly opposed Japan’s expansion, especially since Japan was allied with Hitler — Britain and America’s sworn enemy.

In July 1941, the U.S. stopped supplying oil to Japan. This was devastating for Japan, as 80% of its oil came from America. The U.S. gave Japan a condition: withdraw from China, and only then will oil supplies resume.

Japan now faced a tough choice:

• If it withdrew from China, the world would see it as bowing down to America despite Hitler’s support.
• Without oil, Japan’s military strength would quickly crumble.

Japan decided not to leave China. Instead, it secretly planned to seize Indonesia for its oil. But first, it needed to capture the Philippines — and that meant war with America.

Japanese leaders knew that if they attacked the Philippines, America would strike back from Pearl Harbor. But Japan’s oil reserves were running out, so they had no choice but to act. The Japanese military decided on a surprise attack to destroy Pearl Harbor completely, clearing the way for the Philippines invasion.

Japan prepared its fleet: 2 battleships, 39 submarines, 30 destroyers, and 414 bomber aircraft carried by 6 aircraft carriers — all heading toward Pearl Harbor.

The U.S. forces stationed there included 8 battleships, 59 anti-aircraft ships, submarines, and 390 aircraft — more than enough to stop Japan if they had warning. But Japan kept its attack completely secret, avoiding any wireless communication before the strike.

By the time the fleet was just 370 kilometers from Pearl Harbor, the aircraft took off for the attack.

On the morning of December 7th, 1941, at 7:57 a.m., 350 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor in two waves. The Americans, completely unaware, were thrown into chaos.

The first wave unleashed a rain of bullets and bombs for 45 minutes before retreating. People thought it was over — but 10 minutes later, the second wave struck, inflicting even more destruction.

In just 1 hour and 15 minutes, Japan had sunk or damaged 20 vessels, including 8 battleships, and destroyed over 300 planes.

During the attack, cook Doris Miller heard the sirens while collecting laundry. Before he could react, a Japanese torpedo hit his ship, injuring many, including the captain. Doris carried the wounded to safety, then manned an anti-aircraft gun — without any training — and shot down six Japanese aircraft. For his bravery, Doris Miller was awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest military decoration after the Medal of Honor.

The next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan, officially entering World War II.

In April 1942, the U.S. bombed Tokyo in retaliation. This was only the beginning — the two nations fought bitterly for four more years.

By 1945, Japan was severely weakened but refused to surrender. On August 6th, 1945, at 8 a.m., a Boeing B-29 bomber dropped a 4,400 kg bomb nicknamed Little Boy on Hiroshima. In 43 seconds, a massive explosion turned the city white-hot, raising temperatures to 5,000°C and wiping out 80% of it.

Three days later, on August 9th, the U.S. dropped another atomic bomb — Fat Man — on Nagasaki, obliterating the city.

These were the only two nuclear attacks ever carried out on human populations, and they finally forced Japan to surrender, ending the war in the Pacific.