QUESTION: To what extent was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki a Justifiable wartime action?

ABSTRACT:

My project discusses the atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the close of the Second World War, and to what extent this action was justifiable as a wartime action by the allies. The reason I chose to cover this topic was due to various factors, such as my close link to the subject matter due to my both Japanese and English heritage. Additionally, the state of the world with the imminent approach of the 80th anniversary of the bombing (at the time) and tense international relations due to conflicts such as in the West Bank and Ukraine has led to increased concerns over world peace and additional discussion of the topic. 

My research was carried out by dividing the arguments for and against the justification of the strike into categories: namely that of wartime tactics, foreign and internal affairs and the impact/effect it had on the war effort and any involved nations. While a judgement was extremely difficult to reach due to factors such as shortage/censorship of information as well as the multitude of pertinent factors, I elect to argue that the bombing was not justified: as less harmful routes could have been taken to bring about the same effect, and the events the bombing was said to prevent may have never occurred at all. I conclude with notes on the wider impact of my research, in decrying nuclear defense as a viable strategy for furthering world peace or human prosperity.