The firebombing of Tokyo

Answer 1

resulted in many civilian deaths.

Answer 2

resulted in many civilian deaths

Answer 3

Depends

The Japanese bombers did much worse to the Chinese as they purposely targeted Civilian areas for mass bombing, taking advantage of the Chinese's outdated and numerically inferior air force. During that time, bombing civilians is a common practice by Nazi Germany, Britain, the United States and Fascist Japan. The goal of which is to demoralise the enemy.

Personally, I feel that bombing civilians is an inhumane practice, as they are innocent people. They did not cause or take part in the war, engaged by their militarist government. Hell, some of them may not even support the war in the first place.

However, it is a necessary evil. Japan is never going to surrender unless their economy, industries and resources are decimated in their entirety and the Japanese demoralised. Moreover, Japan's war crimes made Japanese almost irredeemible in the eyes of the Americans, from the Death Railway, Bataam Death march, rape of Nanking to treatment of civilians (Primarily Chinese) and POWs. The Americans are anxious to end the war (Domestic pressure) so they initiated fire-bombing.

Morality in war is pretty much grey. Whether this act or the atomic bombs can be considered a war crime is pretty much up to interpretation. For me, it is a heinous but necessary crime against the Japanese.