... The hard-liners' last idea was that the when U.S. troops landed in Japan, all-out banzai charges by millions of Japanese including women and children would inflict heavy casualties on the Americans, ...
The same idea was tried in Okinawa. Leaving the Okinawan ethinic group aside the Japanese militias proved ineffective in inflicting noticible casualties on the US 10th Army. A few Japanese women and children participated in combat, but most hid, slipped away, or committed suicide. The operations officer of the Japanese Army staff on Okinawa, Colonel Yahara, survived the battle and the English language translation of his book is useful. Yahara noted how the regular infantry regiments had to do nearly all the fighting & when those gave out the army service/support battalions, militias, ect were useless.