The United States should have used atomic weapons on Japan.

Without further ado, here is my argument. 1.It was the best option. The bombing of Japan was the best option, as all the other options wouldn't do much to end the war. 1a.It was a lot better than a invasion of Japan. In the invasion of Okinawa (which has 1,199 square kilometers[1]) had about 38,000 wounded Americans, 12,000 dead or missing Americans, over 107,000 Japanese soldiers killed, and anywhere from 40,000-100,000 civilian deaths[2]. The civilian deaths alone were from ï¿½ to ï¿½ of the combined deaths of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on one small island[3]! Japan's 4 major islands alone have about 375,000 square kilometers[4], and Tokyo alone has over 27 times the population of Okinawa.[4][5] It is obvious from this that an invasion of Japan would have many more casualties than from the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 1b. The Japanese would not surrender. As you can see by simply looking at Operation Ketsugo, the Japanese were not willing to surrender. Instead of surrendering, they were planning an all-out defence. They were literally giving every thing they had into their attack, arming all able civilians with swords and bows, and sending almost all of their planes on kamikaze attacks, hoping to cause so many casualties that the United States would negotiate an armistice.[6] That is not the sign of an enemy willing to surrender. Not only that, but they had been firebombed relentlessly at a rate of about 6 cities a day. The devastation was so bad that one General estimated that they would run out of targets by December 1945. Worst of all, perhaps, was the fact that the Japanese couldn't do anything about it. And all of this was going on simultaneously with Operation Starvation, which had left only 11 out of Japan's 47 supply routes open.[7] And yet the Japanese still didn't surrender. 1c. Peace was not an option. The United States have given Japan a reasonable offer of peace called the Potsdam Declaration. Here are the main points of the Potsdam declaration, which have been sized down a bit.[8] *There must be eliminated for all time the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest. *Until such a new order is established and until there is convincing proof that Japan's war-making power is destroyed, points in Japanese territory to be designated by the Allies shall be occupied to secure the achievement of the basic objectives we are here setting forth. *The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine. *The Japanese military forces, after being completely disarmed, shall be permitted to return to their homes with the opportunity to lead peaceful and productive lives. *We do not intend that the Japanese shall be enslaved as a race or destroyed as a nation, but stern justice shall be meted out to all war criminals, including those who have visited cruelties upon our prisoners. The Japanese government shall remove all obstacles to the revival and strengthening of democratic tendencies among the Japanese people. Freedom of speech, of religion, and of thought, as well as respect for the fundamental human rights shall be established. *Japan shall be permitted to maintain such industries as will sustain her economy and permit the exaction of just reparations in war. To this end, access to, as distinguished from control of raw materials shall be permitted. Eventual Japanese participation in world trade relations shall be permitted. *The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomplished and there has been established in accordance with the freely expressed will of the Japanese people a peacefully inclined and responsible government. As you can see, this was a very reasonable offer, especially as Japan had literally no hope at all of winning the war. To quote the War Journal of the Imperial Headquarters "We can no longer direct the war with any hope of success. The only course left is for Japan's one hundred million people to sacrifice their lives by charging the enemy to make them lose the will to fight."[9]. Their prime minister stated that their response to the Potsdam Declaration would be mokosatsu, or to kill with silence, which basically means to ignore[8]. Conclusion Obviously, the only viable option for the United States was to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima. While the deaths and lingering radiation were regrettable, they were still better than all other options. So the United States should have used the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sources [1] http://www.britannica.com... [2] http://www.globalsecurity.org... [3] http://www.bbc.co.uk... [4] http://www.jnto.go.jp... [5] http://www.historyofwar.org... [6] http://www.operationolympic.com... [7] http://www.bookmice.net... [8]http://www.trumanlibrary.org... [9] http://en.wikipedia.org... (Yes, I know that Wikipedia isn't the most reliable of sources, but I couldn't find this elsewhere as I do not have access to the reference made in Wikipedia)