If intentional targeting of civilians in wartime is a war crime, then why bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki is not a war crime?

by dopenosia

Not only Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also killing defenceless civilians in the Vietnam War? If just because it "shortened the war" It just doesn't add up or, do I miss some points? Please enlighten me.

Gankom

There's always more that can be said, but you might like this older thread from /u/Restricteddata;

Why weren't the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki considered war crimes? The United States wiped out hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians. Was this seen as permissable at the time under the circumstances?

Seeing as this thread got pretty popular, you might also enjoy these other answers by the same author.

Was the US ever tried for dropping the Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima?

Is it true that the U.S. dropped flyers around Japan as a warning to the Japanese civilians before they bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki?