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Originally Posted by Hoopsdoc
I don’t buy it. The Japanese were FANATICS when it came to their homeland and their emperor. They would have fought to the death against ANYONE.
The allies had to agree not to remove Hirohito as a condition of Japans surrender, which still puzzles me. The dude should have been tried for war crimes.
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I'm not an expert on the Pacific theatre but my understanding is that at that point in the war Japanese high command was under no illusions about their chances. Their idea was to make a US invasion of the mainland sound so unpalatable to the US that they could negotiate favorable terms with the help of the Soviets (who had been neutral in the Pacific). After Stalin, who wanted more influence in the Pacific, declared war and the Red Army invaded Manchuria that went out the window. Couple that with the bomb and I'm sure both played a big role.
I've always heard that Hirohito was largely a puppet of the military but you're right about a lot of Japanese war criminals getting off.