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“What if Japan had not surrendered during world war 2?

Commanders and leaders

Main Allied leaders Main Axis leaders

● ​Joseph Stalin ● ​Adolf Hitler


● ​Franklin D. Roosevelt
● ​Hirohito
● ​Winston Churchill
● ​Benito Mussolini
● ​Chiang Kai-shek

Situation #1
Six years into the war Japan made the decision to surrender to America after the first atomic
bomb dropping in Hiroshima. After the second bombing, Japan announces officially its surrender
to America beginning the end the world war ll, but what if Japan never had surrendered to
America? Well, after the first bombing Japan attempted to seek help from the Soviet Union who
had remained neutral throughout the beginning of the war, because of a non-aggression pact with
Germany. A pact which had given the Soviet Union more time to strengthen their army and
prepare for war. An Agreement which later fell apart in 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet
Union whom later sided with the “Allies” . Japan's search for allies with the Soviet Union was
rejected and were later invaded a little before the second bombing occurred. This invasion left
the japanese army destroyed and fearful, no longer having the means to strongly fight back
against any army. Especially the american army which had threatened according to ​History.com
that failure to surrender would lead to “the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese
armed forces and just as inevitable the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland.” This not
only a threat but promise would have easily been kept if as said by ​Historian Sheldon Garon​,
“That by Aug. 19, 1945, America would have had three more atomic bombs ready and had six
more in production.” This would have means that the americans were no just prepared but ready
for the japanese to keep fighting. After the firebombing and atomic bombing the people of Japan
were done fighting, in fact according to ​Garon​, “8.5 million fled Japanese cities in the final five
months of war, paralyzing transport networks.” ​These people were fearing the worst knowing their
country would be stopped. ​This along with the continues invasions and bombing would have led
Japan to total destruction as promise by the Americans.
Situation #2
What if Japan hadn’t needed to surrender to America? Well according to an article by​ ​Miguel
Far​ia​, Japan and Germany could have both won against the “​Allies​” and won World War 2. The
article states, “The Germans could still have won the war, but the Japanese got greedy and
overconfident in their estimate that they could defeat the British and American forces in the Far
East and did not cooperate with the German Grand Strategy.” The grand strategy which was that
the germans go after the Soviet army from the west ( which did happen ), and the Japanese from
the east (never happened), but as fate may have it, the Japanese were nowhere to be seen. This
would have weaken one of the main enemies allowing both to go against America. But when a
country is thirsty for control and power no one can reason with them.

Personal Thoughts: In my opinion I think that the most realistic situation would be the first one
in which Japan would still have surrendered. The idea that the Soviet army would have continued
to invade throughout Japan and that the American army would have continued to bomb them,
makes me reasonably think that the people of Japan would have left their own government,
leaving the country more vulnerable to invasions. During this time period the Japanese leaders
and commanders were not thinking about their own people’s lives with they were putting a risk,
and instead they were wanting to protect their pride among the other countries.

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