I find it ironic that modern Japanese while aware that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were obliterated by American atomic bombs are unaware of WHY this occured. The "official" Japanese Government position is to "minimize' the teaching of the historical details in Japanese schools of the period from the early 1930`s upto about the end of WW 2. A recent poll in Japan found that only 1/3rd of all Japanese were only vaguely aware there WAS a Pacific War at all, and most were older than 30. More than 1/2 were completely unaware of the Pearl Harbor attack at all, let alone the all too common atrocities commited during the "Co Prosperity Sphere of Imperial Japan" in China, the Phillipine Islands, Singapore, Wake Island and so many other God forsaken spots from the Aleutian Islands to the central Indian Ocean. At least the grandchildren of the men who admittedly fought fanatically for their Emperor have vigorously enbraced democracy and rejected offensive war as a National policy. Have been to Pearl Harbor and manned the rails, rendering a salute to USS Arizona (BB- 39) to port. Also had the honor to put foot upon Midway, Wake Island, Guam, Bataan, Corrigador and Clark Airfield. Saw the abandoned fortifications, and saw the now quietly rusting debris of war; could not halp but think of countless young men on BOTH sides, facing each other, so many never to return home at all, and the numberous tens of thousands who did return to grieving families. Ironic that Magellaen named it the Pacific which literally means "Peaceful"; hopefully it will remain so in the future, but fron at least late 1941 to close to the end of 1945 it was everything BUT "Peaceful"...