What led to the rather tragic decision was the fact that the Japanese did not consider surrendering. Japanese high-ups used their elite pilots like one-off missiles rather than to surrender, and hoped that 100 million Japanese people would ‘shatter like a jewel’(一億玉砕), rather than, you know, be alive.
Landing option the US had, Operation Downfall, also included bombing the coastal defense with nuclear bombs and literally obliterating Japan as a whole, so I’m not sure if that would have caused fewer casualties, not to mention it would have been a painstakingly long fight, ultimately leading to more painful exploitation for the victims like Korea and Southeast Asia. Even after the first bomb was dropped, they did not consider surrendering.
I am not saying that the bomb was the only way the war could have ended(although that was something I implied jokingly), and I’m not ignoring the fact that countless civilians died from it. But I don’t think any other options would have had fewer casualties, especially from the viewpoint of one of their many colonies that was brutally exploited and suffered.
No you would not be, USA had the resources to commit to a landing in japan and have less casualties over all
You’re not immune to propaganda, do not believe that nukes were ever necessary
What led to the rather tragic decision was the fact that the Japanese did not consider surrendering. Japanese high-ups used their elite pilots like one-off missiles rather than to surrender, and hoped that 100 million Japanese people would ‘shatter like a jewel’(一億玉砕), rather than, you know, be alive.
Landing option the US had, Operation Downfall, also included bombing the coastal defense with nuclear bombs and literally obliterating Japan as a whole, so I’m not sure if that would have caused fewer casualties, not to mention it would have been a painstakingly long fight, ultimately leading to more painful exploitation for the victims like Korea and Southeast Asia. Even after the first bomb was dropped, they did not consider surrendering.
I am not saying that the bomb was the only way the war could have ended(although that was something I implied jokingly), and I’m not ignoring the fact that countless civilians died from it. But I don’t think any other options would have had fewer casualties, especially from the viewpoint of one of their many colonies that was brutally exploited and suffered.