What did not happen as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the massive Allied (largely American) invasion of the Japanese home islands that was being actively planned.

FORBES: The Nuking Of Japan

Thus, the author's question: was the subsequent atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki really necessary?

ECONOMIST: Japanese history

B-52 bombing of Vietnam or the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as Britons are with the fire-bombing of Dresden or Frenchmen with the bloody war they fought to try to keep Algeria French.

ECONOMIST: War crimes

The ceremony was also attended by a grandson of former US President Harry Truman, who ordered the bombing of Hiroshima and then Nagasaki.

BBC: Japan marks Hiroshima bombing amid anti-nuclear calls

Mr Frank does a masterly job of documenting the impact that American bombing, prior to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, had on Japan's industrial capacity and civilian morale.

ECONOMIST: Japanese history