Most people think that World War II started on September 1st, 1939, with the German army's invasion of Poland, and that the conflict spread to Asia on September 7th 1941, with the Japanese attack on the American military base of Pearl Harbor. In fact, the origins of the conflict go back well before, when, ten years earlier, Manchuria was invaded by a now-forgotten Japanese general: Kanji Ishiwara. From the 1920s onwards, he set out to propel Japan on a path of confrontation with America and its Allies.

Most people think that World War II started on September 1st, 1939, with the German army's invasion of Poland, and that the conflict spread to Asia on September 7th 1941, with the Japanese attack on the American military base of Pearl Harbor. In fact, the origins of the conflict go back well before, when, ten years earlier, Manchuria was invaded by a now-forgotten Japanese general: Kanji Ishiwara. From the 1920s onwards, he set out to propel Japan on a path of confrontation with America and its Allies.