This lecture will examine the so-called “reverse course” taken by the American occupiers after 1947; the “1955 system” of rule by the Liberal Democratic Party and the related “iron triangle” of conservative politicians, bureaucrats, and big business; and finally the “economic miracle” of the period of high growth and the 1964 Tokyo Olympiad. Along the way, we will also touch on the War Crimes Tribunal and its place in postwar history.