system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: help me explain dropping the bombs on japan to a bunch of tweeners.

Hola folks. im working as a camp councilor as a summer job. long story short, the topic of dropping the bombs on japan came up (space camp, was doing the section on Werner Vonbraun and the use of rockets in WW2). most of the kids had an extremely negative opinion of the event and seemed to think it was an example of American imperialism. i tried to explain how it was more complicated then that. but i kept getting overwhelmed as to which details were most salient. i also wanted to keep from sounding like some Fascist puppet for a tremendous racists for not glossing over japans war crimes during WW2. i told the kids i would do some research, and bring them a better answer when i was done. 

so as apart of that, anyone have any advice on how to explain this incredibly complex bit of history to a pack of 5th graders without sounding racist, fascist, or boring?
gpt
An invasion would have been even more costly in both American and Japanese lives, because culturally, they could *not* surrender without losing face.  Did you know that they haven't made new Purple Heart medals since 1945?  We're *still* drawing from the enormous supply of medals that were struck in anticipation of invading Japan.

The Cold War was already heating up, if you'll excuse the mixed metaphor.  'We needed to cow the Soviets.'

If we had threatened a particular Japanese city, saying, "evacuate it by August 6," they could have trucked in our captured soldiers to use as shields.  And, they *would have.*  Imperial Japan wasn't a nice bunch of people.