The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombs: A Crossroads Between Ethics, Law and the Ambition of Victory

Abstract

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) remain pivotal to debates on warfare ethics and international humanitarian law (IHL). Despite extensive historical analysis, gaps persist in reconciling these events with contemporary IHL frameworks and emerging technologies. This study evaluates the bombings’ compliance with IHL principles—distinction, proportionality, and prohibition of unnecessary suffering—and explores their relevance to modern conflict. A qualitative-descriptive, juridical-normative approach analyzes legal documents, historical archives, and hibakusha testimonies. The bombings violated core IHL principles, causing indiscriminate civilian harm (70,000–140,000 deaths) and prolonged suffering (radiation effects, hibakusha accounts). Legal justifications based on "military necessity" fail under proportionality tests. The study underscores the urgency of adapting IHL to address autonomous weapons and cyber warfare, while reinforcing nuclear disarmament efforts. It calls for policy reforms to prioritize civilian protection in 21st-century warfare.