American bombers dropped tons of bombs on Mt. Fuji. I climbed Fuji leading my unit with about 160 soldiers in 1993. We had a great time and this old first sergeant was number 33 to top, even as I lagged behind to kept stragglers moving forward. The bombs were dropped on the old volcano site and when the USA figured out we could not re-iginite the lava flow we dropped incendiaries’ every 12 hours or so to keep it burning - this was done to keep Tokyo in fear of the volcano. We burned Tokyo four times to ground - mostly wooden city. The Japanese were follwers of Shinto and many were also Buddist. Essentiallly Japan was still a backwards sort of religious people having shunned most of the Western religions and for 80 they sent envoys and trade missions to acquire technologies from Italy, Germany, the US, etc.
The Japanese people were ready to defend their homeland in a losing cause.
At Camp Zama, Japan the Emperor’s bomb shelter and the building of the old Japanese military academy are still maintained. I spent three years there, and have a deep abiding love and respect for the ordinary Japanese. Now having said that within the population are backstabbers and yet there are also decent people. The Japanese did horrible things to prisioners, but the culture of warfare was not the same as in the West or Europe where diplomacy over centuries dictated the treatment of the defeated.
Japan knew they were losing, just as Germany knew... but what the hell are you going to do except fight? The atomic bomb convinced the Emperor to end the war; MacArthur was the brilliant man who bought Japan into the modern era after WWII. I have met and talked with many of his staff - they were Masons as was I while in the Army. Now I don’t believe all the BS about Masons, but I gave it up as well. In Japan only the richest men like the chairmen of Sony, Toshiba, etc., could be a mason... to this day.
As for Russia, they are winning an ugly war. They took huge losses in the beginning and they have bad days still; however, the Uke’s are losing between 500-1500 men a day and within two weeks the Donbas will be cleared one way or the other, e.g., surrender or destroyed by artillery. They are not allowed to surrender and many are more afraid of being captured than dying... a sad situation because the AZOR’s were attacking the break a way Donbas for the past 8 years. Russia is now putting them on trail. The river will divide the Ukraine by 1/3 Russian and 2/3s Ukrainian. Reports are that NATO War Reserve Stocks and US warfighting munitions are down to a two week threshold. I am sure the Ukraine will continue to lob shells at Russia even after hositilities are supposed to end as this in their historic nature or MO since 2014.
My classmate in the foreign service was in Georgia when Russia invaded. Russia esentially rolled in and stopped at the River and an undefended bridge... of course US diplomats thought the Russians would continue to advance but this took just enough to send a message. My friend was quite happy to see it end without an evacuation.
Every conflict is multinational. Every conflict has its roots in the history. This conflict is no different. By the time this little NATO miscalculation is over, the maps will be redrawn and energy will flow in different directions - and Europe will eventually get its Russian oil from Turkey or a middle man. Money will be made on transporation. Biden’s corruption is mostly to blame for this war.
There should be no statute of limitations on corruption or laws broken by politicans. Trust and rule of law in American is at an all time low and the breakdown in US society is a direct result of illegal democrat activities of selective law enforcement and corruption.
As it stands, Russian intercepted communications reveal they are so afraid to lose armor they are no longer sending out forces to recover injured troops, and Russia is now bringing in WW2 era tanks to the front after having lost more than a thousand of their modern tanks.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is still massing its reserves, which will number more than 700,000 by late June and July.
Russia has failed to take the Donbass which should have been taken within the first few days of the invasion and no longer have the forces to hold any of the minor gains they've taken over the past few days, meanwhile Ukraine continues its minor counteroffensives, even performing river crossings which the Russians are too dumb to know how to do.