The "Manhattan Project" part is that the research lab was confidential...which doesn't seem that unusual for a high profile research lab, but that aside.

Comparing China's public efforts to build a computer chips industry to the US effort to nuke Japan is kinda wild. Outside of the bait part, the piece coming from Japan Times makes it that much spicier.

Was the manhattan project specifically stood up so that the US can bomb japan? Or was Japan just the first unfortunate target?

Well if anyone gets a pass to be flippant with the analogy… it’s probably the Japanese