SDHF Newsletter No.449 Book Review The Invasion of Japan

The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb
Author: John Ray Skates
University of South Carolina Press, 1994
Reviewed by David Lee

January 9, 2026

It is generally thought that the nuclear bomb forced Japan to surrender and the only other alternative was an amphibious assault on the Japanese homeland which would have resulted in “a million” American casualties.

This book is one of the first in the English language book to detail not only American preparation and planning for an amphibious assault that would have greatly dwarfed that of Normandy in scale but also shows what Japan’s plans were to counterattack and realistically assess Japan’s defenses. Skates mentions that Americas seriously considered the use of poison gas. Army Chief of Staff George Marshall is quoted saying that “There would be nine more atomic bombs…” ready by the “first landing on the southern tip of Japan,” which was scheduled for November 1.

Despite intensive discussion within the Joint Chiefs, who viewed “unconditional surrender” as a strategic impediment, and with President Roosevelt, “unconditional surrender” remained the chief American war objective. Thus, Operation Downfall, the overall plan that included Kyushu (Operation Olympic) and Kanto Plain (Operation Coronet) was prepared.

It was not until mid-1944 that the Imperial General staff ordered comprehensive evaluation of homeland defense. Japanese construction of fortifications began in the fall of 1944, but steel and cement were in short supply. Construction of planned defensive structures remined incomplete by the end of the war. Japanese military leaders sought to mobilize more than two million for homeland defense. Some units reported to their commands without weapons or adequate training and furthermore, experienced officers and specialists. “10,000” planes were to be available at the time of the invasion, but given shortages of fuel and radio, the envisioned massed kamikaze attack would have been not so effective.

Finally, the reviewer points out one error in Skates’ book. Skates claims that breaking the Japanese diplomatic codes, American codename “Magic”, were a failure. In fact, the reviewer states, Magic itself worked as expected.

URL: https://www.sdh-fact.com/review-article/2411/
PDF: https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/InvasionE.pdf

MOTEKI Hiromichi, Chairman
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact