We will start off by looking at the road to surrender, and continue on to the road to reform and recovery. Along the way, we will consider the place of the atomic bombings in Japan’s defeat and surrender, and the radical reconstruction of Japan’s legal, political, economic, and social structures during the first years under the auspices of the US occupation. In particular, I emphasize the three Ds (democratize, demilitarize, and deconcentrate), and will also touch on the issue of the emperor’s war responsibility.