[Nyororin]

Innocent civilians were killed by dropping the bomb. Yes, it`s tragic...

But who do you think would have been fighting to defend homes, etc, if there had been an invasion of Japan itself? There is no doubt in my mind that anyone old enough to hold a pointy stick and run with it would have been out there fighting.
Even with a weapon in their hands, these are civilians. Even the Japanese military was floundering (read my long posts back a few pages) and pulling men from pretty much anywhere and sending them out to fight. They too were essentially civilians.

I don`t think that at the time the bombs were dropped they knew exactly how significant the lasting effects would be. Had that been an issue, maybe - just maybe - it would have been reconsidered. But I personally believe that while it is horrible that so many people died... It honestly would have been worse. Those in power would have pretty much used the entire population of Japan as fodder to keep the war going.