Apparently, Kyoto was briefly on the list of potential targets for atomic bombing in Japan. What would be the ramifications if Kyoto were nuked instead of Hiroshima? Effects on Japanese morale, resolve to fight, Japanese culture post-war, etc.?
WI: Kyoto Nuked?
- Thread starter Tripledot
- Start date
Kyoto had a far larger symbolic relevance than Nagasaki or Hiroshima.
I would find it very sad personally. All those works of art...
Granted, the damage would be worse than Dresda but again i don't think it will have a long term impact on world society or the cold war
Kyoto was a city of massive cultural and historical importance to Japan. It'd be like if Rome were nuked. Not to mention, Kyoto had three times the population of Hiroshima- over a million people. Had it been flattened, the death tolls would undoubtedly be larger.
But even IOTL, there was a near-coup that was willing to silence the Emperor if it meant fighting on, and that's without the gross provocation that we see here. So my question remains: would the Kyujo plotters be sufficiently emboldened to go through with the course they mulled in real life, only to lose their nerve?
Actually, how would Truman have reacted to this, as well? In OTL, after learning of the true extent of the death toll in the atomic bombings, he immediately gave orders to stop bombing. As Henry Wallace recollected, he didn't like the idea of killing "all those kids". How much more would the deaths of those in Kyoto weigh on Truman's mind? And what would this mean for the American popular psyche? Additionally, Japanese leadership predicted that the Americans would not have more than a few bombs, but given the destruction of Kyoto, would they be as willing to try to endure past the first bombing?
If for whatever reason Japan does not surrender and Truman ordered the bombings to be stopped once the word got out Truman would at best be kicked out of office for gross incompetence or some other “supporting the enemy “ reason. Or failing that quite possibly he would be killed by a mob of folks who’s kids are fighting said war.
The US Citizens were in no way willing to let Japan “off the hook” and they even more certainly were not willing to trade US Boys aged 18-30 for Japanese kids of any age. And if Truman suggested anything like it he would be out on his ear.
The US Citizens were in no way willing to let Japan “off the hook” and they even more certainly were not willing to trade US Boys aged 18-30 for Japanese kids of any age. And if Truman suggested anything like it he would be out on his ear.