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He could have continued to blockade Japan and tried to starve the Japanese people to death!.

He could have invaded the Japanese mainland in a D-Day style invasion using combined US ground, naval, and air forces!.

He could have continued burning the Japanese cities using incendiary bomblets until the cities were gone, and then started on the Japanese towns!.

He could have waited for the Soviet Union to recover from the European war, and then launched a two-front battle for Japan along with the USSR!.

All of these would have cost many, many times more deaths of both Japanese and Allied personnel!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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He could have waited for the Japanese to run themselves into the ground like the Germans!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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noWww@QuestionHome@Com

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I think he did everything he could at that point and his back was up against a wall!. He had to save lives and end the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Yes!.

He could have waited for the Russians to establish another front in Manchuria, the Japanese were more scared of the Russians than the Americans as they knew that the Russians would commit worse atrocities than the US forces!. The Russians did start attacking the Japanese in Manchuria but this as after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima so it was largely academic!.

He could have ordered a seabourne invasion of the Japanese mainland, which would possibly have resulted in a lot of American soldiers deaths, although probably less deaths than those caused by the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki!.

Then there was diplomacy, the Americans were hell-bent on unconditional surrender, which the Japanese took to mean they would be forced to hand over their Emperor Hirohito who they considered to be a deity!. Had the US made it clear that the Japanese could keep their leader then negotiations might have worked!. In the event Hirohito did stay on as Japanese leader anyway!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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No!.

One has to understand the Japanese way of thinking at the time!. Shintoism, the worship of one's ancestors!. To bring no disgrace upon one's house or family name!. To surrender without fighting to your last breath would have been considered an ultimate disgrace!.

The Bushido Code!. To die for the emperor is one's duty and glory!.

The Japanese had thousands of suicide aircraft stashed (found in caves after the war), suicide boats, and every man, woman, and child was being trained to fight a US invasion with bamboo spears!.

To have launched Operation Downfall (invasion of Japan) would have cost the allies millions of casualties, and the Japanese more than twice that!.

To try to cut off the home islands might have contained the Japanese to a degree, but it would not have ended the war!. Equilibrium would have been achieved concerning the Japanese and their ability to survive!. They would have not stopped fighting, and allied troops, sailors, and airmen would have continued to die!.

Dropping the bomb, while horrific, paled in comparison to the carnage of an invasion!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Sure!. Specifically as regards Hiroshima, for instance, the same job could have been done with conventional bombs!. A bombing raid on the night of 9/10 March on Tokyo caused more damage and loss of life than the Hiroshima bombing did!.
Allowing the war to progress along conventional lines would have allowed the Soviets to take over Manchuria!.
The blockade of the Home Islands was already taking its toll!. Starvation for a large portion of the Japanese people was right around the corner!.
The US was moving to an invasion, and based on the experience of Iwo Jima and Okinawa it was assumed that US casualties would be at least 100,000!. Japanese casualties would have been much, much higher!.
In light of the above, the use of the atomic bomb can even be seen as a humanitarian gesture!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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