This study explores postwar educational reform in Japan from 1945 to 1952 and focuses on issues related to women's higher education. It describes the transformation of the educational system and the effect of the educational reforms of U.S. occupation forces on post-World War II Japan. The basic research design emphasizes narrative historical research supplemented by the interpretive approach. Data collection includes books, journal articles, government documents, and newspaper articles about educational policies. A description of the Japanese educational system, especially the hierarchical structure of educational administration, provides the basis for an understanding of the problem of the historical inadequacy of higher education for Japanese women. While the Ministry insisted on the importance of traditional Japanese gender roles, it went on to announce the outline of educational reforms for women in December 1945, and four women were accepted into the University of Tokyo in 1946. In the end, educational policies for women's education were directly related to policies developed for the improvement of women's rights. (Contains 30 references.) (BT)