The nuclear bomb didn't beat Japan — Stalin did

That is an over-the-top assumption since the USSR never attacked the Japanese mainland PO1 Tony Holland Yes the Sino Soviet war began in August 1945 in Manchukuo when Japan was already on the ropes after Okinawa.

"Viewed from the Japanese perspective, the most important day in that second week of August wasn’t Aug. 6 but Aug. 9. That was the day that the Supreme Council met — for the first time in the war — to discuss unconditional surrender. The Supreme Council was a group of six top members of the government — a sort of inner cabinet — that effectively ruled Japan in 1945. Japan’s leaders had not seriously considered surrendering prior to that day. Unconditional surrender (what the Allies were demanding) was a bitter pill to swallow."
And this is where the author invalidates his argument that the bombing was not necessary. I wonder if the editors and authors of such stuff even read and understand what was written. This piece of writing would not have passed muster by either my HS English or History teachers, much less English or Journalism professors.
Also just as telling is the timeline that was the basis of the article was incorrect to begin with, and throws the rest of the presumptions out of alignment. This is proven when the article had to be corrected shortly after initial publication.

Like PVT James Strait stated "Everybody has an opinion."

Interesting take on revising the historical narrative. The author leaves out several significant factors and ultimately fails to understand the imperial Japanese mindset, first Japan new they were going to lose it was a decision on how to lose. As seen in Saipan and other Japanese islands the average citizen committed suicide rather than surrender or be captured by the enemy. The military leaders desired the same outcome on Japan, that is to not leave a single person alive for the surrender but to die fighting to the last man.
The second and main reason is his misunderstanding of the leadership itself. The emperor was not the actual leader of Japan the military ruling class had assumed complete control. If this isn't already understood read articles on the Kyūjō incident. The emperor made two recordings and smuggled both of them out of the palace to the radio broadcasting center. Only one made it, the second was intercepted by military leaders not wanting to surrender. The emperor had the following of the mass populace being the emperor and their spiritual leader he did not have authority over the executive branch of the Japanese government as western civilizations understand it.
Lastly it was not a single event that led to the surrender but the culmination of many incidents the Atomic bomb, firebombing of all of the Japanese military complex, invasion of Manchuria, and the Aug 8th Surrender of Japaneses mainland possessions.

Clearly if the bombs were unnecessary they would have been immoral, but the ability of a sitting president to evaluate the intricacies of a foreign government without diplomatic ties is impossible to that degree. Particularly since they refused to surrender after the first bomb, dropping the second both validates the first and justifies the second in order to compel their unconditional surrender.