ABSTRACT
The Kwantung Army officers’ conspiracy, which touched off the Manchurian Incident, and the assassination of Prime Minister Inukai heralded the end of party government in Japan and the advent of military domination of the political scene. These key events mark the beginning of Japan’s long road to war, conquest, and destruction. Questions naturally arise as to how and why Japan got on this path of war and conquest. The conspirators who planned the Manchurian Incident were not acting at the behest of the government. There were no clearly defined domestic or foreign policies advocating such aggression. Nevertheless, these conspirators and assassins did put Japan on the road to war by virtue of the enthusiastic support they gathered to their causes from the general public and from political circles.
