This study focuses on the problems that attended the reform of the Japanese police during the Occupation. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, the author explores the extent to which America failed in it's goal of democratizing the Japanese police force, arguing that deeply-rooted tradition, the pivotal importance of the black market, and the US decision to opt for an indirect occupation produced resistance to reform. His study concludes with a consideration of the postwar legacy of the Occupation's police reform, and touches on a number of recent controversies, most notably the case...