I don't see an issue if they were side-blow casualties in a war, but to specifically target them worries me --> yes, yes, I do think that this is what ended the war and saved our soldiers lives (as I argue with my Japanese brother-in-law to be, that ultimately the US wanted to save as many of it's own soldier's lives, which is what every country should aim for "your aim is not to die for your country but to get the other sob to die for HIS")
I think (if I'm understanding him correctly) Mr. Hasegawa's point is that the war criminals at the head of the Japanese government were so depraved, that they actually weren't forced by any concern over massive civilian casualties. -- yes, but this was not canon fodder as the Soviets did, the Japanese REALLY believed in what they were doing, the people were fanatical and not pushed into fighting.
They truly loved their country and thought they were doing the right thing following orders -- we can still see this disciplined approach in the way the Japanese recovered from the earthquake). They would have fought tooth and nail against every American soldier, and "they" would have included women and children --> they were conditioned to see us as evil monsters hence the tragedy in Okinawa.
Being forced to kill women and children, not from 30,000 feet up, but at hand-to-hand distance, would have been damaging to the souls of American servicemen.