Why were so many japanese lives lost in the battles of two jima and okinawa

the answer is C. The Japanese commanders refused to surrender, even when the battle had been lost.

I just got this right on Edg

The reason is "Even though the battle was lost, the Japanese commanders refused to give up"

Explanation:

The Battle of Iwo Jima the Japanese created a underground network ground pounders on Iwo Jima, the location of a strategic air force base between the Mariana Islands and Japan, which would turn the little volcanic island into a mortal trap for invaders of the US Marines.

Of the twenty two thousand Japanese soldiers trying to defend the island, only 216 survived, many of them badly wounded.

As has been normal in the battle, almost no Japanese soldiers surrendered-most of them battled to death. Of the seventy thousand American Soldiers, 27,909 were killed.