>>64067878
Japan knew they were screwed since ’43. Every staff meeting must’ve felt like rearranging deck chairs on the Yamato. But knowing you’re losing and actually doing something about it aren’t the same thing. The bombings scared the public, but it was the Soviets coming in hot from the north that made the big slant-eyed wigs realize they weren’t just losing a war, they were about to lose the throne, the glorious Empire they loved so much, and maybe even their yellow heads.
That coup attempt? Proof the military still had a death cult grip on power. Hiroshima made them sweat. Manchuria made them move.