Why America Didn't Nuke Tokyo?

Before July 16th, 1945, the US faced a formidable challenge: invading the Japanese main islands. Despite severe losses in the Pacific War, the destruction of naval and air forces, and cities ruined by bombing raids, Imperial Japan refused surrender.

With a determined enemy avoiding dishonor at any cost, the Allied invasion seemed the sole option to end the war, a historical first as Japan had never been occupied by a foreign power.

The invasion, codenamed Downfall, was daunting. Estimates foresaw several years and unthinkable casualties, ranging from 500,000 to 1 million, with some projections even higher.

The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the Soviet Union's entry into the war, averted this apocalyptic scenario.

The war's conclusion poses a question thought: why wasn't Tokyo, the capital, a target for the atomic bombings?

Watch this video to find out what our military experts have to say about the reasons and ways Tokyo nearly faced nuclear devastation.

#themilitaryshow

[angmori]

"It was already torched" saved ya'll 20 minutes lmao

[samhavoc]

Can't have an organized, formal, surrender if there is no one left in charge.

[Americangirl]

Two words: Pearl Harbor. Japan started it. We ended it. End of story.

[WhitenBlackLeaf]

This was very interesting to learn new info

[ashleygoggs]

There is always debate about whether america was right to use these weapons. However my personal opinion is that Truman made the correct decision. The Japanese were absolutely ruthless, If they had not the mind that suicide was an honorable thing aswell as fighting to the death no matter the cost the nukes would probably have never been used. But it was Japans way of thinking and their beliefs that made the decision to drop the bombs. The Battle for mainland japan would have been the most horrific fight in the history of mankind and even civilians were being trained to fight, America and the USSR would have had a very very bloody battle indeed with the Japanese forces.

[roanwestraat]

The animation showing B29s launching from an Aircraft carrier triggered me so bad.

[vancevontaine]

They almost dropped a 3rd? lol
Also, thanks for explaining why.

[williambranch]

It was the plan to try Hirohito for war crimes ... nuking him doesn't help that. The Imperial Palace wasn't firebombed but the rest of Tokyo had already been destroyed. Because Hirohito broke the deadlock on surrender, broadcast surrender to his people and physically submitted himself to MacArthur ... the optimum result happened. A coup the night before the surrender broadcast was narrowly and randomly prevented (Japan had may coups). Japan had a vast undefeated army in China. The Soviet Union made that moot. More than the nukes were required.

[jnb]

What's that at 6:00: B-29s out from an aircraft carrier!?

[mattpierre]

That map is incorrect. Alaska and Hawaii didn't become states until after the war.

[TemptationsEnd]

I think, that it was a lose lose situation. Unless Emperor Hirohito suddenly regained his mind. (He wasn’t for bringing the US into the war. Though his cabinet gassed him up so much. That he eventually acquiesced to their want to keep fighting.

So if we had gone the route of a conventional war. Some military experts think we’d at a minimum would have lost 100, 000 troops in the US. Which might be acceptable for Russia. (Yes I mean Russia, not the USSR. Because Russia has lost more troops than all modern battles dating back to just after WWII.) which would have made the US (which even before WWII was on the losing side of how many troops they had vs what the USSR had. 11mil USA vs 12 Russia even at the tail end of WWII. ) which even before the wars end everyone knew, after WWII. USSR/ russia would have been the US’ biggest enemy.

Though the US couldn’t stomach the idea of losing that many troops. So the only logical choice was to take the new weapon and wipe out as many people as they felt they would lose. Because if they were to go ground invasion. The US would have been severely weakened. Which in the intermediary time between when the US had full tactical superiority when the US had nukes and no one else did. We would have lost, and any number of things could have happened.

It hadn’t been too long before that Germany had lost. Maybe a nazi high ranker could have rallied the troops for one last push. Maybe Stalin could have easily had his reserves and had his troops steamrolled everyone in Europe. Eventually coming for the US when they had sufficiently recovered. Who knows what would have happened. Though popular theory is. That no matter what happened. Most historians agree, if we hadn’t dropped our bombs. The loss of life would have been incalculable.

[toddmarshall]

1:17 Earth to "The Military Show": Alaska wasn't a state then.

[ColonelJohnmatrix]

Yes, those two nuclear attacks have prevented more tragedy in relations to nuclear weapons ever being used again.

[danielvillalba]

I believe the use of these weapons was less of...let's force the Japanese to surrender, and more on the lines of...let's scare the shit out of the Soviets and Chinese.

Truman just weighted the options...and chose revealing what the Americans had in hopes that Stalin would back off doing something stupid in Europe...and it worked...for the most part.

[FrankOdonnell-ejhd]

long after the end of the war president truman was asked if he would be willing to visit japan I guess as some sort of healing or good will gesture his reply was "I'll go but I won't kiss their ass" sounds kind of harsh but it's indicative of his ability to make the kind of horrific decisions that need to be made in war and take responsibility for them compare it to oppenheimer's handwringing ⚛😀

[LeoN-wcod]

Video photography or YouTube is only reason no one wants to fight. Humans are forgetful critters.

[BackInNam]

Thanks I wasn’t gonna watch the whole thing anyways

[CallMeByMyMatingName]

8:22
The "X" in "siXth" is supposed to sound like an "x." Not like "ck." It's pronounced -sickth- _siXth_

[KGRTN]

Japan would’ve became another state or province of the United States. They would of done this anyways if it weren’t for Oppenheimer

[rdeets]

Sounds like how close Trump's goons got to Pence.