This was a strikingly ambitious reformist agenda. Outlaw Japan was to be rendered a peaceful, democratic, law-abiding nation by eradicating the very roots of militarism that had led it so recently to war. In the famous opening lines of the “Initial Postsurrender Policy,” the ultimate objectives of the occupation were framed as follows: (a) To insure that Japan will not again become a menace to the United States or to the peace and security of the world. (b) To bring about the eventual establishment of a peaceful and responsible government which will respect the rights of other states and will
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