Should the U.S. have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan

In response hopes of ending World War 2, the United States invented and dropped its ultimate weapon on Japan - the atomic bomb. This resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and the Japanese surrender, freeing the people of South East Asia from the Japanese Occupation, and leading to the eventual defeat and dissolution of the Axis Powers.

Was the dropping of the atomic bomb thoroughly justifiable? The act was definitely not morally justifiable; it took approximately 200 000 lives and left radiation for generations to come. It hurt Japan in all aspects, whether economical, social or political. But a government is not supposed to consider things from a moral perspective; rather, it is supposed to do things for the good of people - a utilitarian perspective. People elect a democratic government to lead them towards a better society, a better life for everyone. Thus, it is the government's duty to lead the country to greater heights and protect their citizens from harm. Assuming a point-of-view from the US government, it was doing what was best for its people - ending the war as quickly as possible to ensure that no more lives were lost. It can be considered justifiable from the POV of the US government, as it was doing what is best for its citizens.

However, from a humanitarian POV, the US government did the wrong thing by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Some suggested actions include dropping the atomic bombs on uninhabited islands near Japan to show how devastating the atomic bomb can be, or waiting for the Japanese economy to collapse (due to the costs of the war) and the Japanese to officially surrender. However, one has to keep in mind that the Japanese are fiercely loyal to their empire, and will not falter under war fatigue or be threatened by the presence of a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). Also, the goal of the US government was to prevent any more of its troops from dying and end the war as quickly as possible, and dropping the atomic bombs on two cities in Japan was a sure way to get the Japanese to wave the white flag.

The US government did have a choice of intimidating the Japanese into surrender or waiting for the Japanese to surrender by themselves, however, they chose the method that claimed many more lives but ensured victory. Thus, it is justifiable for the US to drop the atomic bomb on Japan; however, it is not the most humane method. As I have said before, the gobvernment always considers things from a utilitarian perspective, thus I believe that the US shoudl have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan.