Today...

[Amadeus]

It is true that firebombing was more devastating, it is why we didn't drop a nuke on Tokyo: because we had already burnt 90% of it to the ground. I argue that the A-bombs had a DEFINITE effect on the Japanese leadership. No one had seen a weapon of that scope and magnitude, that ONE-mother-fucking-BOMB could erase an entire city made them piss their pants.

First you agree that the firebombings were more devastating and then you state the A-bombs had an effect beacuse of their scope and magnitude? In scope and magnitude, the firebombings were much greater.

Plus, the "charm" of the "one bomb" thing kind of fades when one takes into account that that single bomb costed a lot more then the incendiary bombs used for firebombing and was still not as effective.

They had become used to our firebombs and had gone underground or had spread assets out to prevent the fires from spreading, that didn't help protect from the power of the Atom.

Actually, the spreading of assets would have helped somewhat since the atom bomb had a certain area of effect. Plus, the leadership were able to move outside the cities which were targets of atom bombing.

And if Mancuria was their reasoning why were the civilian training camps meant to train every Japanese man, woman, and child to fight the American invaders they knew were coming closed almost on the hour that Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki?

Honestly, I do not know since that is the first time I heard something like that. That said, it was likely not beacuse of the Japanese decision to surrender since that decision was not reached on the 9th.

Let us face the facts. The Japanese goverment did not care about its own citizents since, by their own views, it was the duty of every man, woman and child to fight and die for the Emperor and the Empire. Since they did not surrender after six months of intense firebombing of most cities in Japan, it is unlikely their stance would be moved by the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What convinced them more into unconditional surrender was the Soviet declaration of war and the following operations in Manchuria. The loss of their last hope for a negotiated peace (the Japanese attempted several times to reach a negotiated peace through the Soviets), combined with the quick destruction of the Kwangtung Army, made them realise that they could not get a negotiated peace and that further resistance was futile.