This is the story of an invasion. Not one of men at arms, but rather an onslaught of women with babes in arms. And, other children, too, from toddlers to teenagers. They came to Japan beginning shortly after the end of World War II, to join with their military husbands and fathers in a historically unique experiment: complete assimilation with the all-too-recent enemy, an unprecedented opening of hearts and hearths to a conquered people. Volumes have been written about the occupation of Japan, how its astounding success sped Japan's return to the company of nations, hastening the country's rise as a world-renowned industrial juggernaut. But not elsewhere recorded is how these American families, thousands of