This isn't entirely true either. Japan offered to surrender on several occasions, but those occasions were not UNCONDITIONAL. The US wanted...demanded nothing short of unconditional surrender. If one wants to make the case, one could say that the war could have ended sooner had the US accepted their conditions.
These are the Potsdam demands of substance:Following are our terms. We will not deviate from them. There are no alternatives. We shall brook no delay.
6 There must be eliminated for all time the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest, for we insist that a new order of peace, security and justice will be impossible until irresponsible militarism is driven from the world.
7 Until such a new order is established and until there is convincing proof that Japan's war-making power is destroyed, points in Japanese territory to be designated by the Allies shall be occupied to secure the achievement of the basic objectives we are here setting forth.
8 The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out and Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and such minor islands as we determine.
9 The Japanese military forces, after being completely disarmed, shall be permitted to return to their homes with the opportunity to lead peaceful and productive lives.
10 We do not intend that the Japanese shall be enslaved as a race or destroyed as a nation, but stern justice shall be meted out to all war criminals, including those who have visited cruelties upon our prisoners. The Japanese Government shall remove all obstacles to the revival and strengthening of democratic tendencies among the Japanese people. Freedom of speech, of religion, and of thought, as well as respect for the fundamental human rights shall be established.
11 Japan shall be permitted to maintain such industries as will sustain her economy and permit the exaction of just reparations in kind, but not those which would enable her to re-arm for war. To this end, access to, as distinguished from control of, raw materials shall be permitted. Eventual Japanese participation in world trade relations shall be permitted.
12 The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomplished and there has been established in accordance with the freely expressed will of the Japanese people a peacefully inclined and responsible government.
13 We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction.
No given that atrocities committed by Japan, their sneak attack upon the US, and their abominable treatment of Allied POWs, these are not unreasonable. Official Japanese response was rather simple:
"As for the Government, it does not find any important value in it; the government will just ignore* it"
The Japanese government was given a wonderful oppurtunity to openly declare their surrender terms; the responded with silence. Even as late as August second Togo was having trouble defining actual surrender terms to have his ambassador in the USSR offer up (the ambassador quite wisely pointed out that unconditional surrender, barring the destruction of the monarchy was the only viable choice).
After both bombs leveled their targets and invasion of Manchuria by the USSR, the ruling junta split 3 - 3 with three argueing to accept Potsdam, while preserving the autocracy of the Emperor and 3 insisting that Japan not be occupied, see to her own disarmament, and try her own war criminals.
The emperor directly intervened and an offer was made to accept Potsdam, while preserving the political power of the Emperor and the Imperial system. This would have been akin to leaving Hitler and the Nazis in power in Germany. So the US did some leaflet drops and eventually the government decided to accept the Potsdam terms. Of course there was an attempted coup and a few instances of seppuku.
To whit the Allies gave Japan one final offer for peace - get rid of the warmongering, genocidal government who started all their problems, surrender outlying territory, and be prepared to be occupied. Japan refused to accept this even after two atom bombs. Their terms were farcical and self-serving.
The A-bombs were needed as it took TWO of the suckers to convince a Japan that knew it was destinied for defeat to finally submit to regime change, occupation, and victor's trial of war criminals.
Anyone who thinks peace was viable prior to the bombing is as delusional as the murderous scum who made them necessary in WWII.[/i]
