The atomic bombs also saved many Japanese lives. The devastation and loss of life from an American invasion of the home islands would have been apocalyptic for Japan. I’d wager that most Japanese alike today would not have been if the bombings had not forced them to surrender.
Years later, on a business trip to Kyoto, I had a meeting with one of Japan's preeiminent material scientists. He treated me to lunch, (nagi) and during lunch, he revealed that, as a young army officer, he had been one of the first persons who went into Hiroshima after the bombing.
After I explained that, at the time, I was an "aka-chan", and my only recollection of the time was a hazy memory of adult comments about some sort of "secret weapon" being used, he said this:
"That was an awesome weapon. If Nippon had had it, Tojo Hideki undoubtedly would have used it on Los angeles and San Francisco. As you can see, I survived my trip into the devastation. Conversely, I almost certainly would not have survived the forthcoming U.S. invasion. You might say that the A-bombs made it possible for us to enjoy this lunch together."
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You can't get a much more personal observation and knowledgable opinion than that!