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Leaked Cable Shows Japan Advised Obama Not To Apologize For WWII Japan Nuke Bombings

» 118 comments

WikiLeaks is in the news again, this time offering a revealing look at how the White House dealt with a sticky foreign relations issue relating to Japan. In the leaked cable from 2009, John Roos, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, tells the White House that, per his conversation with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka, it would not, as he sees it, be especially prudent for the President to offer Japan an apology for the U.S.’s bombing of Japan during WWII. The cable was sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before Barack Obama‘s planned visit to Japan:

Anti-nuclear groups, in particular, will speculate whether the President would visit Hiroshima in light of his April 5 Prague speech on non-proliferation. He underscored, however, that both governments must temper the public’s expectations on such issues, as the idea of President Obama visiting Hiroshima to apologize for the atomic bombing during World War II is a “non-starter.” While a simple visit to Hiroshima without fanfare is sufficiently symbolic to convey the right message, it is premature to include such program in the November visit.

You can read the full cable here.

NPR is reporting that, according to White House spokesperson Tommy Vietor, “there was never any plan for the president to apologize. The President’s visit speaks for itself.”

h/t NPR.org

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  • Anonymous

    Oh, you know he wanted to.  That’s just the way he is.

  • Anonymous

    The colossal nerve of this dweeb .
    They just apologized to the family of the traitor who was killed with al Awlaki . This is ridiculous .

    Maybe Obama should give us a shout out and go back home to his Rezko Estates mansion in Chicago .
    Probably time to mow the grass , anyway . Just stay there .

  • http://twitter.com/gadfly666 gadfly666

    USA is the only country that has used nukes on civilian populations.

    But USA should never apologize for it as it will hurt the fragile egos of the low-IQ Conservatives/Republicans/Tea Baggers that inhabit the USA.

  • Texan

    What’s it like knowing that most of the world disagrees w/you?

  • Anonymous

    “NPR is reporting”? And to think, some people would defund this muck-raking source of hard-hitting journalism that exposes Democrat shenanigans…

  • Anonymous

    But, but, but, CNN claimed Obama DIDN’T go on an “Apology Tour”?

  • D L

    I don’t agree with the nuke bombings, either, gadfly, and data shows that the Japanese already surrendered before we launched them…but…apologizing is unnecessary and shows weakness and ineptitude, no matter how wrong the bombings were.

  • D L

    CNN also claimed John McCain was having an affair with a lobbyist just because the NYT reported it.

    But you were just being sarcastic, right?

  • Anonymous

    But, but, but, the article makes clear that he DIDN’T apologize, so what on earth is your point?

  • Anonymous

    He didn’t because THEY said not to. DUH

  • Anonymous

    Sarcastic as hell. :)

  • Anonymous
  • DEFENDER-90

    Obama’s apology sung to the tune of Brenda lees “I’m sorry”

    We’er sorry,so sorry
    that we we’er such fool’s
    we didin’t know that could be so wrong
    Oh,oh,oh
    Uh-oh
    Oh,yes

    I tell you we made a mistake
    I come befor you this apology is not a fake
    But that don’t right
    The wrong that’s been done

    [Spoken]
    We’er sorry, we’er sorry
    So sorry ,so so sorry
    Please accept MY our apology
    America acted stupidly so stupidly
    Please except My our apology
    Oh,oh,oh,oh
    Uh-oh
    OH,yes 

  • Anonymous

    surrender before?

  • D L

    Yes. Harry Truman’s advisers warned him to call off the bombing because the Japanese Government had called Washington D.C. to give up after America threatened to use the nukes. Japan was scared shitless and surrendered, and we still bombed them anyway. Even Dwight Eisenhower stated this, and he was a General, don’t forget.

  • PaulG85

    This is all cry-worthy.

  • D L

    Derpy-derp.

  • Anonymous

    oh, please cite the date and where you got this information

  • Anonymous

    Why did we apologize again?
    Everybody knows it was the whales and dolphins ( or was it cows and chickens?) that nuked Japan.
    SCREW YOU WHALE!! SCREW YOU DOLPHIN!! ( or cow and chicken)

  • Anonymous

    Have you any idea of the realities of the decade preceding WWII and the Pacific Theater casualties and history?   Do you have any idea of the history of the waning days of the war and what was happening in and to Japan then?  Do you have any idea of the projected casualties on BOTH sides if we had been forced to invade?  Do you have any idea of who the front line troops were going to be for both sides?  Or, are you as ill informed as the gadfly (how apropos his name is) in his comment below?

    Educate yourself and then decide if you think we as a country owe the Japanese any apologies for anything.

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  • Michelle

    Apologist in Chief!!  The liberal disdain for this country sickens me. 

  • D L
  • Anonymous

    thank you, nowhere does it say japan agreed to unconditional surrender, or that we told them about our nukes, and it was six days after the bombings before they agreed to surrender.

  • Anonymous

    “Have you any idea of the realities of the decade preceding WWII and the
    Pacific Theater casualties and history?   Do you have any idea of the
    history of the waning days of the war and what was happening in and to
    Japan then?  Do you have any idea of the projected casualties on BOTH
    sides if we had been forced to invade?”

    Hmmmm…blowing up innocent civilians to scare a government into conceding…where have I heard of that before?

  • Anonymous

    Come, come CJ.

    There was no coup by the hard line militarists against Hirohito b/c he had agreed to the surrender (only after being assured he would remain Emperor) in an attempt to prevent the publication of his message to the Japanese people to accept defeat and lay down their arms.

    It’s not as if the Battle for Okinawa gave us any useful information in that regard.  The Japanese were clearly showing signs of conciliation.  The statistics definitely bear that out:

    “Japanese human losses were enormous: 107,539 soldiers killed and 23,764
    sealed in caves or buried by the Japanese themselves; 10,755 captured or
    surrendered”

    ” Somewhere between one-tenth and one-fourth of the civilian population
    perished, though by some estimates the battle of Okinawa killed almost a
    third of the civilian population. According to US Army records during
    the planning phase of the operation, the assumption was that Okinawa was
    home to about 300,000 civilians. At the conclusion of hostilities
    around 196,000 civilians remained. However, US Army figures for the 82
    day campaign showed a total figure of 142,058 civilian casualties,
    including those killed by artillery fire, air attacks and those who were
    pressed into service by the Japanese army.”

  • Anonymous

    FDR and germany

  • Anonymous

    Well, do you have any idea of the civilian casualties in Japan before and excluding the Atomic bomb.

    They were horrendous.  Besides at will air attacks the population was on a starvation diet and feeding, supplying and arming the the war machine, which was still robust.

    Additionally, Japanese civilians of all ages were trained and drilled to die defending Japan and the Emperor.  Witness Okinawa.

    If you would feel better if we had had a main Island extrapolation of Okinawa over a 150,000 civilian deaths in two cities you have a stronger taste for blood and destruction than I am willing to stomach.

  • Anonymous

    And 9/11.

    Dropping the bomb was about one man, Hirohito.  Japan was willing to surrender if the US gave assurances they wouldn’t try him as a war criminal or execute him.
    The US refused that condition and dropped the bombs.

    Oh by the way, then the US agreed to those terms anyway.

    General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of US Army forces in the Pacific, stated on numerous occasions before his death that the atomic bomb was completely unnecessary from a military point of view: “My staff was unanimous in believing that Japan was on the point of collapse and surrender.”

    General Curtis LeMay, who had pioneered precision bombing of Germany and Japan (and who later headed the Strategic Air Command and served as Air Force chief of staff), put it most succinctly: “The atomic bomb had nothing to do with the end of the war.”

    Twas all about revenge really.

  • D L

    Again, that was just one of many accounts from prominent figures in the Government. Herbert Hoover was another, and I’m trying to find his statements and information regarding the debate. The point is, all the signs were showing the Japanese military on the verge of collapse, because of the massive amount of deaths from their military, and the Government not being able to financially support an increase in military weapons/power, effectively proving there was no need to launch not just one, but two atomic bombs in the process. Of course, I still think an apology is unnecessary, but the truth ought to be told.

  • Anonymous

    macarthur was pissed because he wanted a invasion and glory, lemay also armed the b-29′s with incendiary bombs to burn the civilian houses , lemay also wanted to bomb the shit out of cuba

  • Anonymous

    some oppose dropping the bombs, some dont…..some think it sped up the end of the war, some dont, we just have a difference of opinion here

  • NotATeabagger

    He never did. Try and disabuse an allegation with actual facts, tool.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t say I opposed it, I just call it what it is…

    Terrorism against innocent civilians on a grand scale.

  • Anonymous

    you do realize a invasion would have been necessary then, 2.3 million soldiers,3000 kamikaze planes, suicide boats, it was not like japan just agreed, hell they were trying to get the russians to mediate

  • Anonymous

    Friendly advice; Don’t look in the mirror when typing on the computer.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GWUMDXSUYVXFOVKEDR7OG3SD7A John Doe

    OMG! What an embarrassment for the apologizer in chief…LOL

  • Texan

    nice cut and paste

  • Anonymous

    no, it was war

  • Anonymous

    Terrorism against innocent civilians on a grand scale.

    By a Democrat president

  • http://www.facebook.com/MadamDeb Deb Moschkin

    Oh no! Meidate is just itching for a good Comments fight. Use the words Obama and apologize in the same sentence — for no apparent reason.

  • Anonymous

    Yes… it totally makes sense that Japan would tell the President to NOT do something he had never offered to do. Your powers of logic is amazing. Or are you just that gullible?

  • Anonymous

    I thought he fathered a black baby.

  • D L

    Invasion is one thing, but dropping two weapons of mass-destruction went a little too far, considering how many innocents died. We were winning the war just fine using regular, ordinary missiles and bombs, I don’t see why the idea to even create something so destructive was even approved.

  • D L

    I guess we can all have our disagreements, since this issue will always be forever debated. Where it was a war or not, I do think the questions begs on where you draw the line regarding the death of innocent civilians, and what can be justified as proper war action, as opposed to outright terrorism. Let us Republicans remember (because I am one) that every war in the 20th Century, with the exception of the Gulf War, was started by Democratic Presidents, the idea of disregarding Habeas Corpus, putting people into interment camps, etc. was all done by Democrats, until George W. Bush arrived (no, I’m not saying Bush put people into interment camps). The Republicans back then were non-interventionists, wanted out of the League of Nations and wanted no part of the U.N. They also argued about the human cost of war (as well as the financial toll) and how it should be avoided, unless required.

  • Dr

    he got your mom mowing his lawn bitch

  • Dr

    what does a hillbilly like you know about the world?
    the world agrees that america is an imperialistic tyrant

  • Dr

    it was approved to satisfy bitches like cjd

  • bohratom

    The only appology that Obama should make is to apologize for being president.

  • Anonymous

    He adopted a child from Bangladesh…

    It was GWB that pushed a false story in 2000 that he “fathered” a black child. And it is you that is continuing to push that lie.

  • Christee

    He didn’t apologize.  What’s the problem?  Conservative disdain for this country sickens me.  Please do something more with your time and life than wasting it writing this stuff.

  • Christee

    Tellingly, you can’t even spell “apology.”  The stock market is no longer in a free-for-all, soldiers will be coming home, he was Commander in Chief when WE KILLED OSAMA BIN LADEN and other terrorists, and more people will be able to get health insurance rather than going bankrupt, or costing us much more to pay for their care – there’s much to be proud of!

  • Anonymous

    This I know
    Laugh much?

  • http://twitter.com/TommyBennett Tom Bennett

    oh, that’s rich. 

  • Anonymous

    If you want to know who flagged you – it was me.

    If you can’t act like an adult – leave.  Your post was obscene and the only person you diminished was yourself.  

  • Anonymous

    because they had more sense than he did.  

  • Anonymous

    Well perhaps the world saw him go to Egypt and give a well publicized and admittedly, at the time, well received speech. But then the world saw him turn around and do exactly the opposite of his words escalating wars and starting new ones. Winning a Nobel peace prize and then doing the opposite of what he claimed  in his acceptance speech

    An apology from him would probably not carry the same weight and legitimacy as a president who’s not seen as contradictory, bipolar and someone that does not have the conviction of his beliefs as this one. 

    They may also see it as what it is, local politics, him throwing a bone to his left leaning base

  • Pablo

    Then why didn’t they surrender after the first one?

  • Christee

    You could easily criticize past leaders of the other party with the same complaints you have about this President.  Why do people keep doing this? And what new wars have we started?  Our involvement in Libya was limited.

  • Pablo

    We killed more Japanese civilians with firebombs than we did with nukes, with 100K casualties in Tokyo alone.

  • http://twitter.com/pakattak natey p excello

    I’m confused. In one post, you claim that “King” Obama is arrogant, and looks down upon others.

    Yet here, you call him a “dweeb” and criticize him for showing weakness and humility when there should be none.

  • Nancillarypeloslinton

    We’ve got pictures of your mom and the ten guys you call ‘Daddy. Should we share them with everybody?

  • Nancillarypeloslinton

    It’s just precious that you trust the media and this White House to tell you what American involvement is.

  • Christee

    Most reporters from this country and other countries want to write about what’s happening in the world.  Who are you accusing of lying? Fox News, CNN, BBC, etc.?  It’s late, you’re not thinking things through, but just realize even if you’re suspicious of all the media outlets in this country, there are newspapers and television news stations in other countries that have reported on U.S. actions for decades. 

    And all administrations have put limits on the amount of information provided to the public.  Ever done any research on the subject?

  • Anonymous

    I flagged it four hours ago.

    Hopefully the email I just sent will be successful.

  • Ralph

    Why apologize when it took more than one nuke to cause a surrender?

    I mean, if they had immediately surrendered, then someone could say a nuke half its size could have accomplished the same purpose.  But in reality, one wasn’t enough.  The war lords had to be shown we not only had a nuke, but that we had the ability to deliver a nuclear bomb about once a week.

  • lazzzlo

    Except when they need our help.

  • http://www.facebook.com/secondwise Farwa Ali

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  • Exgoper

    Consistency may not be his hobgoblin, but Gloves definitely has a small mind.

  • Roger_Fails

    What’s it like knowing that most of the world thinks Texans are arrogant, reckless cowboys?

  • Guest

    Didn’t the administration apologize to one of the recently killed terrorists family?

  • Christee

    Broken record … all administrations have taken similar actions -September 16, 2007:  US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, apologized to
    the Iraqi government in an attempt to prevent the expulsion of all employees of
    the security firm Blackwater USA. The ministry of interior yesterday took the
    decision to expel Blackwater after eight Iraqi civilians were killed and 13
    wounded in Baghdad when shots were fired from a US state department convoy on
    Sunday.

     

    November 28, 2002: President Bush apologized, via the U.S. ambassador in
    Seuol, for the deaths of two South Korean girls hit by a U.S. military vehicle
    in June
     
    June 16, 1999: State Department Under Secretary Thomas Pickering
    apologized in Beijing for the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in
    Belgrade

  • TruDat

    There goes the lefties’ claim that Obama never went around apologizing; even the Japanese had heard enough.

  • TruDat

    Wouldn’t surprise me if Obama apologizes to, and then pardons, Charles Manson.

  • TruDat

    Yep, like his closing of GITMO, his tripling of troops in Afghanistan, his droning of innocents in Pakistan (but waterboarding is bad), his entry into a war in Libya (a matter of days, not weeks), his droning in Yemen and Somalia without congressional authority.

    Yeah, swell guy!

  • TruDat

    Love the hateful, vile rhetoric of the all-embracing, tolerant, intellectual left.

  • TruDat

    Someone’s in denial.

  • TruDat

    Thinking isn’t your strong suit.

  • TruDat

    You hear that on the news every night, with Obama droning citizens of sovereign nations without congressional approval.  But it’s okay; at least he’s not splashing water in their faces because THAT would be torture.

  • Christee

    Sure this isn’t the first time you’ve been told this – Crazy comments.

  • Christee

    Not done in a vacuum.  Bush’s former Secretary of Defense advised, as did military leaders.  

    Throughout U.S. history, the cost of protecting this country’s citizens has been the loss of civilian lives.

  • TruDat

    I guess you’re embarrassed that the Japanese had to tell your Messiah to knock it off.

  • TruDat

    Limited?  Didn’t Obama say it would be a matter of days not weeks?  We’re still operating in Libya to this day.

  • Christee

    Never happened.  Imagining things?

  • TruDat

    Excuses, excuses.

    Who cares if it was Bush’s former this or former that.  OBAMA entered into foreign countries and droned their citizens.  You lefties whine about waterboarding, yet cheer murder.

  • Christee

    Didn’t happen in a vacuum.  Former Bush Secretary of Defense advised, as did military leaders.

    The cost of protecting this country’s citizens is the loss of civilians lives, as happened throughout U.S. history.

  • Christee

    President Barack Obama has said since the start of U.S. involvement in Libya that he would not commit ground forces.  (AP) 9/13/2011

  • Christee

    Like Fox News, CNN, BBC?   All administrations have been selective in providing information to the public.

  • Christee

    Media includes U.S. and overseas orgs.  Trust reporters to get the story.  All administrations are selective with the info. provided to the public.

  • Christee

    Trust reporters from media around the world to get the story.  All administrations have limited info. provided to the public.

  • Anonymous

    Well, the Belgrade bombing was done under Bill Clinton and his war to protect Muslim and deflect news from him and his Monica mess.  It was a stupid mistake by the US  and bombing an embassy is against the “rules”.  Embassy are suppose to be safe areas.  Bush apologizing for the US hitting innocents is understandbable but Obama apologizes for wars he is supporting and for everything that America does.  Your examples really don’t hold water when comparing our current president’s apology behavior.  He just really doesn’t like our country and wants to bring it to its knees.  Anyone that can’t see this is deceiving themselves.

  • http://twitter.com/maggiefanelli Maggie Fanelli

    “I would like to sincerely apologize for these events that occurred 20 years before I was born,committed by people I never met for reasons that were totally legitimate. Why? Because I have to make everything about me and I get off on making a world power like the US look like a sniveling pile of estrogen.”

  • TruDat

    And you believe him because you’re a stooge.

  • Rio

    I flagged it at 9:11 central, so much for that flagging button, anyone home at mediate?

  • Rio

    No, Bush did not push that story.  CNN once did a write up about political myths that included this one, it’s false, it was a professor at George Jones University that did it.  Moreover, John McCain knows it wasn’t the Bush campaign that pushed that myth.  After the primaries he invited Bush and campaign to his ranch in AZ and entertained the group with a big bar-b-que, a big bury the hatchet weekend.  Karen Hughes wrote about both incidents in her book.

  • Kima

    we do not apologise for it because WE did not start the war. WE were attacked. WE wanted to end the war, and ulimately saved more lives by dropping the bomb than were lost. And while we feel bad for the suffering in the aftereffects, Japan brought it on herself. And it IS veiwed as weak.But I don’t blame Barry, for it. He was on an appeasement high.
    I blame his advisors, and if I were him, I would fire anyone and everyone involved in his protocol office.
    Because aside from not touching the Queen, one of the first things Protocol should have told him was to NEVER apologise for winning a war, in which our presence was brought about by their attack on us.

  • Kima

    which of course is why they all want to live here

  • TruDat

    Spin away!!

  • Kima

    armchair generals. re-fighting the War. Tell us all about it when you were there, and you were in charge

  • Rio

    We’ve had groups of CIA operatives on ground in Libya from the beginning and the O administration admitted to having ground forces in Libya in September.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/world/africa/31intel.html

  • Rmilter

    Yeah people who apologize are dumb.

  • Rmilter

    Do you really think the whole World wants to live in America? Seriously?

  • Rmilter

    Why does apologizing show weakness and ineptitude? Are you worried Japan will attack us again?

  • Rmilter

    Apologizing is not a sign of weakness, it is just common courtesy. If anything people who are willing to apologize are stronger than people who are unwilling to apologize for anything. War is hell and we should all feel bad for those who perished, especially the civilians of either side and the soldiers of the allies.

  • Anonymous

    Do they? Really? Have you gone out in the world and asked about this, or are you just another left wing jabberjaw repeating what you have been told? I have been outside the US a few times, and I have never heard anyone disrespect the US or say what you have. Most of the world loves the US Dollars we give them and are happy to see Americans come and spend more.

  • Anonymous

    Roger, you failed again.

  • SoThere

    Dr has to get back to the protest dood. They cleaned the crap and crud out of the park today. He’ll be leaving the country soon because he hates it so much.

    LMAO

    “TMP”

  • Anonymous

    “data shows that the Japanese already surrendered before we launched them”

    No, they did not surrender. They did not surrender even after the first one. They did surrender after the second one. History is not your area of expertise is it, kid?

  • Awle

    I am from outside America and trust me mate, no one thinks like you. We see America as an imperial power. I don’t blame you though we British didn’t think we were imperialistic back then either.

  • Anonymous

    “We were winning the war just fine using regular, ordinary missiles and bombs”

    You are apparently ignorant on the subject of WW II. There were no missiles used as weapons in that war, the technology of the day was not capable of producing a missile.

    Your revisionist history is pure fiction.

  • SoThere

    dood, DL is reading from the Liberal History books. You are witnessing the education of today’s children in a liberal school system.

    “TMP”

  • Anonymous

    http://nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/history/pre-cold-war/hiroshima-nagasaki/opinion-eisenhower-bomb.htm

    This link is to a left wing liberal organization that originated in California at the University of California at Santa Barbara. While they do have laudable goals, their wholesale denial of true and accepted historical fact in favor of their manufactured version of history and false quotes of people who are no longer able to refute them are typical of liberal liars.

    Eisenhower cannot be questioned as to whether he said what you people claim he did or not, so your evidence falls into the category of hearsay. The same applies to Herbert Hoover. Why can’t they come up with someone who is alive and reliable as a source for their information? Because they are lying.

    Simple as that; it is a house of cards.

  • SoThere

    Liberal propaganda site.

    “TMP”

  • Anonymous

    Oh thank you for the non sequitur. You Brits always get your rear in trouble and who do you turn to?

    I thought so.

  • SoThere

    So what do you consider yourselves now, Marxist, Socialist, Communist, What?

    “TMP”

  • Anonymous

    D?

  • Anonymous

    I have an idea, apologize to the American people for being stupid enough to take the office of the President and then retire you fking moron. Well one thing is for certain, this idiot WILL go down in history as the worst President ever.
    Carter can now die in peace.

  • Anonymous

    Oh yeah – they are so far left they are looking at the backside of the right. I hope they like the dark side of the moon…

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