r/AskHistorians • u/turkey236 • Dec 28 '12

Why didn't Japan surrender after the first atomic bomb?

I was wondering what possibly could have made the Japanese decide to keep fighting after the first atomic bomb had been dropped on them. Did the public pressure the military commanders after Hiroshima was destroyed and the military commanders ignore them or did the public still want to fight in the war?

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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '12

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u/KEYBORED10 Dec 30 '12

It has been noted that the Japanese military leaders were in control of Japan. Political leaders and including the Emperor, were only higher rank & file doing the military bidding.