From 1889 to 1949, General Kanji Ishiwara's military, ideological and political career took in the key moments of Japanese History, in a most spectacular and novel-like way.

From 1889 to 1949, General Kanji Ishiwara's military, ideological and political career took in the key moments of Japanese History, in a most spectacular and novel-like way. It included the forced opening of Japan to the West, the Hiroshima disaster, as well as the attack on China or Pearl Harbour. Who is General Ishiwara, this unusual and romantic figure whose life marked the destiny of Japan by throwing his country into World War II?
The man, from a family of samurai, quickly rose to the top of the imperial army and became a key figure in the intellectual landscape of the Japanese far right. Spending time in Germany in the 1920s, he returned to Japan with the new theories of Total War. A political adventurer, in open rebellion against the establishment, he took part in the putsches that helped destabilize democracy, then engaged in the invasion of Manchuria in 1931.
Forgotten today, this event nevertheless marked the beginning of the war that would devastate China and fuel a fascist and racial ideology in Japan, leading the country to attack the United States in 1941. Paradoxically, Ishiwara initially did everything possible to fuel and provoke this war, but then after the outbreak of the conflict did everything he can to end it.
Ishiwara was the grandson of a samurai. He was considered brutal and eccentric, a talented photographer and artist with an undeniable sense of self-presentation. He was a admirer of Germany and harbored fascist convictions. As a follower of modern, nationalist rewrite of Nichiren Buddhism, he advocated the theory that a period of massive conflict would be necessary before a golden era of human culture could come. He saw Japan as the executor of this worldwide fate.
This fascinating story sheds a new light on the Pacific War. One of its many strong points is the fact that Ishiwara filmed his men in the military, his daily life, his social life, by himself with a Pathe Baby 9.5mm. A unique opportunity to see this period through the eyes of one of its key players.
"Kanji Ishiwara: The Man Who Triggered the War" takes a fresh look at this conflict, the factors triggering it and the general mechanisms in times of severe crisis.

-- French title: "General Ishiwara - L'homme qui declencha la guerre" --

Directed by Paul Jenkins ; Subreal and Arturo Mio Co-Production with ARTE France