Perhaps not but they have been tending to win the economic wars since. Those wars that have basically replaced the physical ones that is. Most of our population do not seem to be aware that this has been going on for a long time now. Just the other day for example I noticed that up here in Canada the chinese alone have put ten billion dollars into the oil sands project. We just cannot seem to help ourselves giving things away.

I also was under the impression that the japanese where trying to surrender. When the decision for political reasons rather than military was made to use the a bombs. Russia may have acted in bad faith as the japenese where apparently trying to use them as a go between for the surrender before that.

Our politicians may have felt it weakened their position. Remember Russia had just declared war on japan as well near the end and had ambitions there as well. In fact they did get some territory that may have been returned to japan by now.

Propaganda for the masses is one thing. Reality may easily be something else. At least some of the more serious island battles may have easily been avoidable once the japanese navy had basically ceased to exist. The only fear politicians and our systems might have in the western societies to what they want. The loss of life percentagewise exceeding what the population will bear. It is far less difficult for government structures of a more dictorial totally self empowering type to allow it.

Since at that point american industrial output was far more capable of functioning at a much higher level than the japanese industry. Time and effective blockading might have been used instead of sacrificing lives to prevail. Possibly a fear of the russians becoming involved as they eventually did was the motavation to speed things up at much higher costs in human lives. Remember the russians had enourmous resources freed up as soon as Germany was defeated. Same as the so called western powers did. At that point Japan knew it had no chance at all one way or another.

Actually it was interesting that Russia declared war on Japan. The japanese had not attacked russian interests although russia had feared or claimed they might. I very much doubt the japanese had the required reserves and resources to start a campain against them. Plus that the fact was well known by the russians.

The only point of speculation in my mind is how things might have worked out over the years if Germany had not opened hostilities with Russia. Would it have been an almost endless situation or would some accomadations have been made? We will never know. Although I suspect an accomadation of some sort might have occured.

I also have little doubt that the further sacrifice of american lives especially to achieve a faster political timetable at that point would have been used. This when invading the home islands. The starving of japan for resources and total destructuion of japanese infastructure was already well underway. It would just have taken somewhat longer before they threw in the towel.