The United States and Japan would engage in a fierce conflict following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan's resistance to surrender was evident in the battles for Okinawa and Iwo Jima. The fact that Japanese soldiers were willing to die for their nation's victory put doubt on the United States' claim to victory. The US would make nuclear bombs trying to force Japan's surrender. Then on August 6, 1945 the US would drop a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and after three days on August 9, 1945 the US would drop one more nuclear bomb on Nagasaki. It has been debated whether or not the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified ever since they were dropped. Some people think that the bombings were immoral and unnecessary, but it's important to think about why they were made. President Truman's approval of the bombs would result in the survival of American and Japanese lives and Japan's surrender. …show more content…
The estimated number of American casualties for an invasion of Japan was around one million, according to the 1945 Ayers Papers. This number doesn't take into incorporate the likely loss of Japanese lives. It is estimated that the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki prevented the loss of between 250,000 and 500,000 American lives in an invasion. This assertion is also supported by Paul Fussell's book "A World War 2 Soldier," which asserts that the atomic bomb was the only means of swiftly ending the war and preventing additional casualties. Before the bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese government had not shown any signs of surrender. It is accepted that the utilization of the nuclear bomb persuaded the Japanese that the conflict was unwinnable, and they gave up not long