Ranar 2 ga Satumba, 1945, sojojin Japan sun mika wuya a hukumance
zuwa Amurka. Janar Douglas MacArthur ya ba da umarnin a kama Laurel saboda yin aiki tare da Jafananci. A shekara ta 1946 an tuhume shi da laifin cin amanar kasa 132, amma ba a taba kai shi kotu ba saboda amnesty da Shugaba Manuel Roxas ya bayar a shekarar 1948. Laurel ya yi takarar shugaban kasa a kan Elpidio Quirino a shekarar 1949 amma ya rasa a cikin abin da sakataren harkokin waje na gaba Carlos P. Romulo da Marvin M. Gray suka yi la'akari da zaben da ya fi muni a tarihin zaben Philippine.