Germany had already surrendered by May 7, 1945 two Essays - Japan

Germany had already surrendered by May 7, 1945 two months before the atomic bombs were used and by this time the war in Europe was over. However, the war against Japan still continued at a great cost. This is what drove the Americans to continue the race for the atomic bomb as well as the start of the Cold War. The United States attacked Japan repeatedly to have them surrender, but the Japanese didn't want to surrender hence defended vigorously seeking an armistice, to end the war with honour. Cause The cause and decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan still remains a controversial topic. However, the main cause was the threat that Japan posed. American leaders argue that although Japan's navy was weakened it still possessed a large army, consisting of about four million men, based in mainland Japan, Korea and China. The United States considered an invasion of Japan to finally end the war, but decided against it as it would require millions of men and would result in a huge number of casualties on both sides. The goal of the Americans was to force Japan to surrender as quickly as possible to minimize American casualties. Another factor that affected the United States' decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan, were the memories of the Japanese atrocities against American and allied troops. In particular the bombing of Pearl harbour, a surprise attack on 7 December 1941 that left 2,400 men dead, 188 US aircraft destroyed and 18 US ships completely submerged and also forced t he US to enter World War 2. Another occurrence that happened much later on was Japan's brutal execution of prisoners of war from both the US and the allied forces. Effect On the 6th and 9th of August, 1945 the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed when the United States finally used their nuclear bombs killing close to 230,000 Japanese civilians. This event forced Japan into surrendering due to fear of America's power as revealed in a speech by emperor Hirohito (the enemy has employed a new bomb capable of mass destruction, should we continue fighting it would result in the destruction of Japan). Japan's surrender marked the end of WW2. But, what did this mean for Australia? The end of the war allowed our war-weary troops from Europe, North Africa, Asia and the Pacific, to finally return home to their loved ones who were desperate to have them back. It finally ended the fear of invasion that Australia had due to Japan's aggression against them. Perspective The use of the atomic bomb in Japan is usually celebrated as the end of WW2 in the perspective of the allied forces. Australian troops could finally return home and the fighting had stopped. However, in the perspective of the loser and in particular Japan the bomb was a tragedy that had vaporised two whole cities, killing over 200,000 instantly an affecting generations of innocents with radiation poisoning. Japan had been dealt a huge loss in a matter of days, all for honour.