Nuklear bomb

[AndyJWest]

Back to Japan and Nukes, can you imagine the carnage that would of been been inflicted on the Japanese nation and the Allied soldiers if an invasion of Japan was the only option...

Fair enough, Tree, but the point is there were already other alternatives, and there is a great deal of evidence to suggest the Japanese would have surrendered fairly soon, even without an invasion, and without the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Prior to the Soviet war declaration, the Japanese were trying to negotiate peace via them, on substantially the same terms that the Allies ultimately accepted (an 'unconditional' surrender, except that the Emperor would remain in position). With the Soviet entry into the war, an already dire situation was about to get much worse, as they were well aware. They were rapidly losing the logistical ability to fight anyway, largely as a result of the US submarine blockade. Given the willingness of most of the population to accept the surrender (half-baked military coup attempts notwithstanding), there seems little to suggest there was much will remaining to continue the fight.