The West believes World War II broke out in Asia on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. But was this attack the result of a conflict that started 10 years earlier, when the now-forgotten Japanese general, Kanji Ishiwara, invaded Manchuria? The grandson of a samurai, the fascist Ishiwara was an avid photographer who filmed his men, his daily social, and family life. He symbolises the link from Tokyo to Berlin, two of the most murderous regimes of the 20th century. This film sheds new light on the Pacific War through the eyes of the man who triggered it.