On July 12, Tōgō directed Satō to tell the Soviets that, "His Majesty the Emperor, mindful of the fact that the present war daily brings greater evil and sacrifice upon the peoples of all the belligerent powers, desires from his heart that it may be quickly terminated. But so long as England and the United States insist upon unconditional surrender, the Japanese Empire has no alternative but to fight on with all its strength for the honor and existence of the Motherland."
We were out of options. On July 26, we warned them. We told them that the alternative was "prompt and utter destruction." Their response was, "The only thing to do is just kill it with silence (mokusatsu). We will do nothing but press on to the bitter end to bring about a successful completion of the war." Everyone knew what was coming. They had time to consider. They had time to change their minds. They didn't. If you want to blame someone, blame the emperor who was prepared to sacrifice hundreds of millions of his own people at the altar of his ego.
Now they get to live with their decision, just as we get to live with ours.