I also like to see things not just in the lens of diplomacy and mechanics. I like to consider the spiritualist explanation of why things happened the way it happened. The Japanese Empire was clearly an aggressive power, many injustices were done onto many Asian and Western peoples by Japanese Soldiers. Japanese Empire caused massive deaths, in the tens of millions in Asia, in a war that was , for all practical senses, a War of National Vanity.
When the world was changing and seeing the gradual demise of imperialism, Japan was fighting for a decaying ideology--- an Imperialist Ideology. It was a vain attempt really, the consequence of the war, was due to poor planning by the Japanese Military Government, and the propaganda machine enacted by the state government.
Mind you that the Japanese Military Government not only lied about the prospects of the war, fooling the public that the Empire was winning against the Allies, all the way until American Bombers were flying over Sacred Japanese Airspace and dropping bombs on Sacred Japanese Soil.
Never again shall Government of Japan have a role in controlling media in such a nefarious and insipid way. What did we gain in that war? We lost our core territories, we lost over 3.5 million soldiers, over 1 million civilian casualties, and we inflicted over 40 million deaths in Asia.
Introspectively, my friend, Japan was the 'Evil' in that war. I hate to say this, and i mean in no disrespect to our revered war dead because they fought honorably, but I blame the Government in Japan for leading us towards a course of war. When diplomacy could have been chosen could have been possible. Instead, the Military Government chose a path towards war.
God Punished Japan with defeat. And a once Mighty, and Proud Empire and People were brought Low.
Holy Scripture warned us , "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall"
-Proverbs 16:18