[bonesmccoy]

Occupation of Japan isn't the reason the Japanese are helping the US. They're helping us because they need the US to defend Japanese territory against North Korea.

While I am certain that neither FDR nor Truman had the foresight to predict this outcome (after all, they were trying to kill off the Japanese), the Ike/Nixon/Ford/Reagan people created trade and profit across the Pacific.

[sd-joe]

The point is:

The Japanese were trying to kill us. We did whatever it took, and at a great cost of American lives and dollars, and DEFEATED them.

We then occupied them and converted them to a more friendly government.

The payoff since then has been tremendous.

This is a story of hope, as it applies to the situation in Iraq.