That said; you admit that “Truman wanted any excuse he had to drop it.” Doesn’t that contradict the idea that “the blame [belongs] on the vast disparity between communication styles and expressions,” which, even with the qualifications, is the gist of this blog post?

But I disagree with the fact that it was a miscommunication. America fired because it wasn’t sure but it didnt want to take any chances and also, they really wanted to show the world what they were capable of. But there is no excuse for this level of devastation. They should have sent a final communication to say what the devastation would be if they didn’t surrender and then – if the reply was not clear – proceed.

As for your claim that “a few words Suzuki gave to reporters” couldn’t have triggered the confusion in American diplomatic circles, read the NSA paper I link to in the text. Key words here are that yeah, Truman wanted any excuse he had to drop it. Suzuki was PM, which isn’t just any other government official. The military needed an answer, didn’t hear one, then saw this – it’s certainly not the only reason, but, at least according to that paper, it was a major sign that the Japanese had rejected the offer.

Anyway, I’m getting a bit tired of your endless accusations that I am somehow an enemy of the Japanese people, or whatever, this is the second time you’ve accused me of saying something I’m not saying, and both times you’ve assumed I was taking a position that was clearly idiotic. If you’re going to throw that kind of stuff around at least make sure you look for the counter-evidence in the post. Both times I’ve said the opposite of what you seem to think I’ve said.

That was also the conclusion of the US intelligence services and Truman himself! This issue is discussed by Historian at American University in Washington DC Peter Kuznickat at 11:16 of the below video, although the whole thing is worth watching:

“The problem was inherent to the Japanese language, where words are secondary to context.”

““acting on guesses” can end with the annihilation of cities.”

So the cause of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed up to a quarter million innocent Japanese women, men, and children, was their own fault.

It is now apparent that the way you use “read the air” is a new version of the old idea and slur “inscrutable oriental.” Japanese isn’t the only language that depends on context to a large degree, English does too. In fact, scholars and statesmen of Aramaic languages have long described the English language, the language of many of their colonizers, as vague and open to multiple interpretations (I don’t know any Aramaic language, but this point was referenced in the final chapter of the seminal book Orientalism by Edward Said- a book Owwls ought to read).

Also, its ridiculous to presume that merely a few words Suzuki gave in an interview with reporters is something that made Truman’s choice inevitable. Truman’s Chief of Staff Admiral Leahy and 6 of 7 5-star generals and admirals who won their 5th star during the war were adamantly against the use of the bomb, including Eisenhower (as explained in the video below). Even MacArthur was against the bomb, he believed the Japanese would’ve surrendered in May. You, Owwls, paint a picture of a wild-eyed, murderously suicidal nation, but obviously much of those with a full understanding at the time didn’t have the same image of Japan.

This is a touchy subject, and one that it is possible to discuss reasonably and productively, but blaming the nuclear bombs on a supposed failure of the Japanese language is beyond the pale.

Professor of history at American University Peter Kuznick discusses the bombing in a interview today. In the interview it is made clear from the context and motivations out of which Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bombs that the Japanese language isn’t to blame for the American killing of 250,000 civilians.

Speaking in such a “soft” way makes a person appear weak and wishy-washy to Americans. The preference in the U.S. seems to be for emotional hyperbole. A reserved “This soup is less-than-good” can, can be accurately portrayed in American English with the sentence “This is the worst soup I’ve ever had in my life!”

Some non-Americans (both Japanese and English) might hear “This is the worst soup I’ve ever had in my life!” and think that the American either has complete lack of awareness of social status or is implying a belief that he is far, far above the people around him in status. This is probably one cause of the “Americans are arrogant” stereotype.