Simply not invading Korea and Vietnam would have saved far more lives (even just American lives) than the bombs dropped in Japan.
Hell, accepting Japanese terms of surrender and beginning the peace talks months earlier would have saved more American lives.
I just wish we'd had more a-bombs ready to drop on them.
The bulk of the dead on the main islands were civilians, as the army was oversees occupying the mainland. By the time they got home, the war was over and the US had functionally taken over their command. They were then turned to the purpose of... killing more Japanese domestic civilians in order to suppress a communist revolt. Japan - along with the rest of the Pacific Rim - returned to military dictatorship staffed by the remnants of the old Japanese army.
The people primarily made to suffer were those who could not or would not join combat.
Simply not invading Korea and Vietnam would have saved far more lives (even just American lives) than the bombs dropped in Japan.
Hell, accepting Japanese terms of surrender and beginning the peace talks months earlier would have saved more American lives.
The bulk of the dead on the main islands were civilians, as the army was oversees occupying the mainland. By the time they got home, the war was over and the US had functionally taken over their command. They were then turned to the purpose of... killing more Japanese domestic civilians in order to suppress a communist revolt. Japan - along with the rest of the Pacific Rim - returned to military dictatorship staffed by the remnants of the old Japanese army.
The people primarily made to suffer were those who could not or would not join combat.