On August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb—named “Little Boy”—over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki. Between 110,000 and 210,000 people died, either immediately from the blasts or later from radiation exposure.
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki heralded the end of World War II. In the years that followed, a troubling story began to spread: This tragedy—and the hundreds of thousands of lives lost—might’ve been avoided by correcting a simple translation error.
In July 1945, after defeating Nazi Germany, Allied leaders submitted the Potsdam Declaration, an ultimatum demanding Japan’s unconditional surrender. If Japan refused, the declaration warned of “prompt and utter destruction.”
When Tokyo reporters asked Japanese Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki for comment, he gave a brief statement. In it was the word “mokusatsu,” which means “ignore” or “treat with silent contempt,” depending on the context.
Mokusatsu, v. take no notice of; treat (anything) with silent contempt; ignore [by keeping silence];
remain in a wise and masterly inactivity.
According to the myth, U.S. officials took “mokusatsu” to mean contempt. They believed that the Japanese government had dismissed the declaration as unworthy of comment. And so, the bombs fell.
No. Suzuki’s full statement makes his meaning painfully clear:
“I believe the Joint Proclamation by the three countries is nothing but a rehash of the Cairo Declaration. As for the Government, it does not find any important value in it, and there is no other recourse but to ignore it entirely and resolutely fight for the successful conclusion of this war.”
Here’s a breakdown:
Japan replied that it would ignore (mokusatsu) the declaration and “resolutely fight for the successful conclusion of the war.” There was no error in translation; just an answer the Allies didn’t want to hear.
In 1950, Stanford lecturer Kazuo Kawai wrote an article titled “Mokusatsu, Japan’s Response to the Potsdam Declaration.” He suggested that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki might have been avoided if “mokusatsu” had been correctly translated as “withhold comment.”
It’s a compelling story—and one that arrived just five years after the bombings. To complicate matters further, the third edition of Kenkyusha’s New Japanese-English Dictionary added a new meaning for “mokusatsu” in 1954: “remain in wise and masterly inactivity.”
There’s no evidence that U.S. leaders misread Suzuki’s intentions. And even if they had, would it have mattered? The Potsdam Declaration demanded unconditional surrender. Any other response would been met with “prompt and utter destruction.”
After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union’s declaration of war, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945. On September 2, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s formal surrender, bringing World War II to a close.
Did you believe that a translation error led to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? That’s okay. History’s full of myths—like the notion that condemned witches were burned at the stake at the Salem Witch Trials. (They weren’t.) Or that Napoleon was short. (He wasn’t.) Being a student of history means digging into these stories to find out what really happened and why it still matters.
Want to teach a new generation about the historical events that shaped society? Check out UT Permian Basin’s online Master of Arts in History.
You’ll study historical turning points like the American Revolution, Civil War, and both World Wars, all while working toward a prestigious degree. With this knowledge and your diploma in hand, you’ll be ready for a career as a history teacher, historian, or any role that values careful research and a keen eye for detail.
Take a closer look at our online MA in history and everything it offers. When you’re ready, apply to UT Permian Basin. Just don’t let this moment slip away and become lost to history.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/articles/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352083496_Hiroshima_Mokusatsu_and_Alleged_Mistranslations
https://www.nsa.gov/portals/75/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/tech-journals/mokusatsu.pdf
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