International attempts to conduct state-building, efforts by foreign actors to build up institutions in a given nation, have largely failed, with few notable exceptions, such as Japan. The current literature on the Occupation of Japan often misrepresents the case, placing too much emphasis on the external threat, and assumes the preferences of the Japanese people. This project seeks to take a multidimensional approach to examining the relationship between foreign actors in the state-building process and domestic politics during the Japanese Occupation. To accomplish this, we performed an in-depth study of the relevant groups in the Japanese Occupation and notable historical events to understand why Japan was a success and why other state-building efforts have failed. Areas of interest include the role of the Japanese military and the Emperor, ideologies of domestic political groups including the status quo conservatives and progressive opposition, popular sovereignty, censorship and occupational purging, mass protests, civil society, mass media, and the role of elites. The unique case of Japan provides key insight into the factors required for successful statebuilding, opening up discussion for what is needed for success around the world.