During WWII, Japan fell to the Allies after two atomic bombs were dropped on their land. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is often questioned by today’s scholars, who wonder if the Allies may have sacrificed something in the way of morals when they decided to take such extreme measures to help ensure their victory. Many have also wondered, were it not for the atomic bombs, if Japan might have actually had a chance at victory in WWII.
The atomic bombs were not the only factor in the Allies’ victory. While it would have taken them much longer, they likely would have achieved victory anyway through their tactic of “island hopping,” in which they powered through each island around Japan, thinning the ranks as if playing a large-scale game of Risk. Still, the Asian country was fierce in WWII. They fought back against the United States despite a comparable lack of military resources. American forces sent in whatever they could spare in terms of both personnel and naval resources. It was a personal battle for American troops, many of whom were still seething over the events at Pearl Harbor.
The heavy resources utilized by the United States are one of the potential weapons that Japan could have used against them. With the Americans already putting a great number of men at stake, drawing out the conflict to bleed them dry of funding and equipment would have potentially dampened their fighting spirit. Many have also suggested that they never should have drawn America into WWII in the first place. Without Pearl Harbor, America would not have had it out for the Japanese forces in quite the way they did.
The issue of resources is one which could have been avoided. Fighting was widespread among the Pacific Theater, but it did not need to be so. Many analysts who have put their time into studying WWII have suggested that Japan might have been able to strike much harder if they had limited their expense of resources by keeping the fighting relatively contained. Instead, they spread themselves thin and left themselves open to defeat, The National Interest reports.
It is difficult to say how the political landscape would have changed if Japan had won WWII, especially if Germany had still lost. Even though they eventually succumbed to the Allies, Japan is still one of the world’s dominant nations today. Had they won WWII, their position would likely be even stronger.