The nukes were at the end of World War II. That they would have caused it to end is a myth. Contrary to the US commanders' belief, the loss of civilian life wa

The nukes were at the end of World War II. That they would have caused it to end is a myth. Contrary to the US commanders' belief, the loss of civilian life was actually of little concern to Japan's military leadership. Several Japanese cities had already been destroyed to the same extent as Hiroshima and Nagasaki, at a greater loss of life outside than in those two cities combined. (That the bombs would continue to kill people for decades afterwards was not known at the time...) What turned Japan to surrender was that simultaneously, the USSR was advancing rapidly in the (mostly undefended) north. USSR had taken Sakhalin and was very close to invading Hokkaido. The Japanese did not want any part of Japan-proper to be under Soviet rule, as that would have been devastating to their religion and culture. Surrendering to the US was seen as the lesser evil.