It should also be noted that Japan had no history of democracy and a decidedly non-Western majority religion based in part on worship of the Emperor.
Getting democracy there must have looked to be impossible in 1945. How, oh how, did we manage it?
It should also be noted that Japan had no history of democracy and a decidedly non-Western majority religion based in part on worship of the Emperor. Getting democracy there must have looked to be impossible in 1945. How, oh how, did we manage it?
1. The Japanese surrendered, and the emperor (who as you point out, was worshipped by the population) directed everyone to stop fighting.
2. There was one commander - General Douglas MacArthur - of the entire occupation effort, military and civil.
3. MacArthur worked to win the Japanese people over. “MacArthur himself arrived in Tokyo on August 30, and immediately set several laws: No Allied personnel were to fraternize with Japanese people. No Allied personnel were to assault Japanese people. No Allied personnel were to eat the scarce Japanese food.”
3. Numbers. By the end of 1945, more than 350,000 US personnel were stationed throughout Japan. Adding the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in February 1946 added 40,000 more.