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I am interested to know the reasons that cause individual Japanese soldiers to go on suicide attacks and I am not just talking about the kamikaze but on normal battlefield when Japanese soldiers will charge out with their swords up high or killing themselves in defeat. I mean people don't normally do such things :juggle2:
Get thee to the Monastery.
Bushido. The Imperial military was based around that feudal honour system. It stressed absolute and unquestioning obidience to your superiors. That drilled into every body in the services. Surrender was considered disobidient and therefore dishonourable. That's why they were always reluctant to surrender. Learn more about Bushido, a lot of Japanese actions in WW2 make more sense if you understand it.
Their way of thinking was completely different to ours. To be dishonourable was an insult to one's whole family into the future, and probably into the past. It was for the most part unthinkable.
Japan als had something of a population chrisis, so lives were cheap and not valued that highly.
That is where many atrocities in WW2 come from. To be captured in battle is dishonourable. those that are captured are without honour - the absolute lowest of the low, utter scum.
So, not only did the Japenese never imagine that they'd get so many prisoners and so had no infrastructure to deal with them, but also treated them badly as they deserved it.
When the atomic bombs went off the military wanted to fight on. Not to win, but merely to allow the armed forces at least to die with honour.
It was not long before WW2 that Japenese women when trapped in a burning building had the ultimate conundrum: to climb a ladder in a kimono would bare their groin to those below. Thus many opted to be burned to death instead.
A very different mindset.
~:smoking:
To add to Rory's statement I believe that they also didnt want to surrender after the atomic bomb so that they could inflict as may casualties on the Americans to force them to seek peace. There's my two cents.
Indeedely-doodely.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoreBag
Moved.
There's even a traditional way of suicide, [i]seppuku[i]. Japanese Samurai honour traditions. They wanted to fight on and cause lots of Americans not for surrender, the Americans wanted them to surrender already. They didn't want an unconditional surrender, and many Japanese had been surprised and angered by unconditional surrender, because they'd been told that they were winning.
I think so too after seeing now determined they are to defend their homeland which is reflected in the battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa where the Japanese bravery fight to the last (okay maybe not all but out of 21,800 defenders on Iwo Jima , only about a 1000 were taken prisoner really mean something )Quote:
Originally Posted by Csar
So if the atomic bomb is not used, how do you think the Americans will fare in their war on the mainland?
We have to remember that in Japanese culture the worst thing that could happen to invidual was loosing face. Even death was better then loosing your face. That is why for example Seppuku was thought as better option then surrender. But we have to remember that it was not black and white.For example during Sengoku Jidai period when castle fell the Lord usually committed Seppuku or died fighting.In Samurai ethics it was right thing to do to accept ones responsibility in face of failure.But the normal soldiers rarely would have committed mass suicide but surrendered.And in couple years they could be fighting in for their new masters.In all armies through out the ages there has been suicide missions and soldiers that accepted those while knowing they wouldnt return.Kamikaze were basicly planes turned into missiles by loading those full of explosives.The thing was that they needed to be operated by men.And Japan had lots of soldiers willing to die for Emperor.Its simple calculation.If you loose one man and airplane and possibly destroy enemy ship,is that acceptable prize?How does that differ for example modern day warfare and infantry man shooting his rocket propelled granade against modern MainBattleTank that will even when destroyed shoot all its weapons in the direction where it spotted that RPG.And kill the Anti tank soldier? Its also simple calculation loosing one man and destroying a MBT,is that too big prize to pay?
In the man's point of view, yes, that is quite a big price to pay. They didn't have a choice, though. For all you English out there, it was like in WWI: do what you're supposed to or else white feather.
Thats War.People die.If you are a soldier you have to be prepared to die for your country.Its terrible but War is terrible business.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiberius
It is not only in battle and it is still a modern day way of saving face.
Google this "japanese vet suicide mad cow disease"
Quote:
A Japanese veterinarian who failed to diagnose mad cow disease in a sick dairy cow has apparently committed suicide, health officials said on Tuesday, a day after Japan confirmed its fourth case of the illness in cattle.
The news came as the Health Ministry moved to step up mad-cow testing to try to ease concerns over the latest outbreak, which has reignited a health scare that devastated Japan's food sector last year.
The 29-year-old veterinarian, an employee of a public health center near the site of the latest outbreak on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, was found dead at her home on Monday, officials at the center said.
Police are investigating, media reports said.
The veterinarian had left a note apologizing for failing to detect the disease in the six-year-old Holstein cow after it was brought into the center for examination, the officials said.
She really take her job seriously