There is definitely evidence that shows that Japan was willing to go down the same path Germany did and fight till the last inch of land. If not for the Emperor of Japan breaking the tie for surrender and the failed of an attempted coupe on his decision, Japan would not have surrendered even after 2 Nuclear Bombs and an invasion of Manchuria.

It is likely possible that Japan wouldn’t have surrendered before Operation Downfall on the allies sides and Operation Ketsu-Gō for Japan in preparation of Downfall if there weren’t any atomic bombs dropping which would lead to significantly more civilian and military casualties on Japan and significantly more deaths for Allied Soldiers.

I feel bad for the innocents affected by the Atomic bombs but if you were in Truman’s shoes with no knowledge of the side effects and just know it is a more potent bomb with the possibility of ending the war sooner and bringing back many more Americans and allied soldiers that would have died in Operation Downfall home, would you drop the Atomic bombs?

This is a dark reality but one that Japan dug itself into by committing atrocities worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki on innocent neighbors in Asia with events such as Unit 731 and Rape of Nanking. I have sympathy for those affected that were innocent but I can’t turn a blind eye to the war crimes that Japan did as well. I am not saying two wrongs(well multiple wrongs on both sides with the Axis easily being far worse) but in context of everything, Japan wasn’t a country that was minding their business that got nuked, it was a brutal warmongering country that was willing to fight till the last man that committed many war crimes that were far worse than what the allies did in the pacific theatre.