[wtc911]

Your post triggered a thought. What if the war had dragged on long enough for Stalin to fulfill his Yalta commitment beyond a Manchurian campaign. What if we had waited the invasion of the main islands long enough for our ETO troops and Soviet troops to arrive in PTO? Would our plans have included a dozen or even one Soviet Division? If yes then would there have been a post VJ division of Japan into separate and decidedly unequal Soviet and US run sectors ala post VE Germany?

[wtc911]

Did some fast research. The Japan invasion, set for 1, November, 1945, was to be 100% US. The number of troops scheduled to be involved is staggering and included the entire Marine Corps. Do a quick google on Operation Downfall or Operation Olympic for details and casualty projections as well as Japanese strengths and resistance plans.

[Question_Assumptions]

Your analysis is dead on in my opinion. The alternative put forth by revisionists is that the US accept a conditional surrender that would have left the weakened Japanese government in power with no occupation (this is the "We had them beaten already and they were harmless" school of thought). That would have left a weakened Japan, without the protection of the US military umbrella, alone to face China and the USSR looking for a little pay-back. Think Korea and Vietnam.