Question

When World War II ended, Japan was militarily occupied by the United States. What did the United States hope to accomplish by occupying Japan?

Answer 1

The occupation was meant to ensure democracy and peace in Japan. Prior to that, Japan had militarized rapidly and used war as a sort of foreign policy tool.

Answer 2

It is commonplace for a defeated nation to be occupied by the winning nation(s). The reason is to ensure that the defeated nation can no longer be a threat, and in history, to take their valuables and so on.The US did in fact accomplish this . . . and thanks to the genius of Gen MacArthur, the US allowed the Japanese Emperor continue to spiritually lead the country. The US set up a new set of legal rules for the nation of Japan, including that they could no longer have a standing Army or Navy, except at a limited level to defend themselves. The US was quite sensitive and quite humane in its occupation of Japan after WW II.