Miko once commented that most of the older students she has say that being defeated & occupied by the US was the best thing that could have happened to them.

Yep, I agree. But we're talking apples and oranges here, believe me. Japan was - and still is, to some extent - a relatively isolated country with almost no friends. That in itself is a huge difference. And anyway, the oldies are dying out now, leaving young ones who have vastly different attitudes.