I do wonder why the occupation authorities did the exact opposite for Germany, emphasizing war crimes, collective guilt, etc, since (West) Germany was also a bulwark against the Soviet bloc?

Cycles in an ecosystem. During each phase of the cycle different groups and behaviors dominate. In this case we are talking about moral ecosystems. 5 behaviors arranged in impact through the cycle >> exploration(morally neutral small groups) discovers something >> exploitation(morally negative but highly rewarding. small group) >> opportunism. rewards attract the majority. Morality is ambiguous. Costs multiply. >> moralists who have been screaming and taking hits through the entire cycle gain ground but dont have power to make change >> reputation/status sensitive actors(ie ppl with power) act on "moral grounds" only when they see themselves taking status/rep hits and stop acting as soon as they see status stabilize.

In Shinto religion the emperor is viewed as direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. During the rule of the Shogunate, the Emperor was simply a figurehead, a role he was relegated to again after WW2.

> I think more people should be aware of Unit 731.

They wouldn't. CIA was also doing human experiments yet, although we live in a democracy, nobody held them accountable. You see, as long as a government cannot be held accountable by its own people, all bets are off.

CIA controls all western media, so good luck "making people aware".