ABSTRACT Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, a US citizen who was born in Japan, has taught in both countries. Applying his specialized knowledge of Russian history to an analysis of the US decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan, he challenges the prevailing American view that the US decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified. The prevailing view is based on two premises: first, the use of the atomic bombs was the only option available to the US government without launching a costly homeland invasion; and second, the atomic bombings had an immediate and direct impact on Japan’s decision to surrender. Dr. Hasegawa rebuts both assumptions. He also sets out the third – and often hidden – justification for dropping the bombs, namely, America’s sense of revenge. He argues that, even before the atomic bombings, the United States had already crossed the moral high ground that it had held. He views the US use of atomic bombs to be a war crime. But he asserts that this action must be understood in the context of Japan’s responsibility for starting the war of aggression and committing atrocities in the Asia–Pacific War.

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日本的原子弹爆炸是否合理？与长谷川刚博士的对话

摘要生于日本的美国公民长谷川刚（Tsuyoshi Hasegawa）在这两个国家任教。他将自己对俄罗斯历史的专门知识运用到对美国对日本投下原子弹的决定的分析中，挑战了美国的普遍观点，即美国对广岛和长崎投下原子弹的决定是合理的。普遍的看法基于两个前提：首先，使用原子弹是美国政府在不发起昂贵的国土入侵的情况下唯一的选择。其次，原子弹爆炸对日本的投降决定具有直接和直接的影响。长谷川博士对此作了反驳。他还提出了投下炸弹的第三种理由（通常是隐藏的），即美国的报复意识。他认为，即使在原子弹爆炸之前，美国已经超越了它所拥有的道德制高点。他认为美国使用原子弹是战争罪。但是他断言，必须在日本有责任发动侵略战争和在亚太战争中犯下暴行的背景下理解这一行动。