[SpicyLemonZest]

Political factors encouraged people to consider the “occupation” phase over quickly, but parts of Japan were under direct US civil administration until 1972, and both countries to this day have an order of magnitude more troops than Afghanistan did. If a German 20 years after World War II were plotting to restore the Nazi government, “the US might just shoot us all” would have to be part of the calculation.

Germany and Japan were also quite a bit more successful at actually ending the organizations occupying troops found unacceptable.