“However, it worked in Japan after WWII. But Japan was so thoroughly defeated, and so stunned, they had no choice but to accept the occupation.”
You haven’t considered Emperor Hirohito.
For the first time ever he recorded a message to the civilian populace informing the country of the surrender and directing all soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians to lay down all weapons and submit to the occupation of their homeland.
He then committed the unbelievable act of leaving the palace to visit General MacArthur. Never before had anything like that occurred. By his actions he was showing his country that even HE the Divine Emperor was under the authority of the victorious allied powers.
He then spent time touring the country giving speeches telling everyone to work with the occupation so a new Japan could rise from the ashes of their defeat.
Some politicians had advocated imprisoning the emperor for war crimes. If MacArthur had tried that we would have had to kill most of the Japanese population.
“You haven’t considered Emperor Hirohito.”
I certainly have considered him. He knew full well that Japan was defeated, and had no chance of survival if it didn’t surrender. He went against some of his hardline military officers, and was almost deposed because of it. In mid-August, 1945, in the Kyujo Incident, there was an attempted coup by military hardliners, but it was foiled.