We also have Germany as a point of comparison. 1945 Was the bloodiest year of the European theater, a fact made even more palpable considering that the European

We also have Germany as a point of comparison. 1945 Was the bloodiest year of the European theater, a fact made even more palpable considering that the European war ended in May. Compound this with the fact that the ratio of troops killed vs surrendered for Germany was about 4:1 versus 120:1 for Japan (granted this isn't really a straightforward comparison, Japan was often fighting over heavily fortified islands that afforded little opportunity to encircle large formations which is what precipitates most surrenders).