[colorado tanker]

He actually had designs on Hokkaido and the northern part of Honshu, and was planning an amphibious operation to grab them.

Very interesting. So, we could have fought over North and South Japan during the Cold War?

The bombs wrecked those plans.

[henkster]

Yes, we could have had North Japan and South Japan in the Cold War. Talk about a major “suck.” Even after the surrender, the Soviet military representative in the Far East was making noises about having an occupation zone in Japan. MacArthur would have none of it, and neither would Truman. For one thing, the USSR hadn’t earned it.

But they grabbed Manchuria and by extension, all of China. So they can’t complain too much.