Continue dropping more bombs. Both atomic bombs (only a very small number of which were expected to be available over the following several months) and conventional bombs. It should be noted that the conventional bombing campaign, along with the massive interdiction of Japanese shipping, was already grinding Japan into dust and starving the population. The conventional bombing campaign was erasing entire cities from the map on a regular basis. The destruction was vast and horrific, on a scale of what was achieved with the nuclear bombings. The only difference the nukes made was that they were slightly more reliable (a firestorm is somewhat unpredictable) and vastly more efficient (one bomber, one bombing crew, vs. hundreds of bombers). But they did not significantly change the pace at which cities were being destroyed in Japan (though they hinted at the promise of an acceleration and more certainly pointed toward the prospect of total annihilation of the nation of Japan).

At some point along the way there was a planned allied invasion of the Japanese main islands: Operation Downfall. This was expected to be the largest amphibious assault in history, with expected casualties based on the examples of Okinawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, etc. to be quite enormous (tens to hundreds of thousands of combat deaths of allied personnel within the first few months). Operation Olympic, the invasion of the island of Kyushu (the southernmost of Japan's main islands) was to begin in November of 1945. The plan was a coordinated landing at 35 separate beaches in the south of the island, along with a diversionary attack on the island of Shikoku. The intention was to capture the Southern portion of the island to facilitate further attacks on the rest of Japan. Operation Coronet was the planned capture of Tokyo, in spring of 1946. Coronet was to involve around half a million soldiers with coordinate landings on the Boso peninsula and Sagami bay. After the beachheads were secured each groups which was to head inland to encircle Tokyo.