SEISEN! THE RISE AND FALL OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE chronicles the dramatic story of a proud and ambitious warrior nation, and how Japan, ultimately, paid a terrible price for its audacity between 1905-1945. Although Russia, Britain, France, Australia, the USA and other western powers were directly involved, the forty-year conflict was an Asian story. The documentary explores Japan's militaristic history in the first half of the 20th century – from its victory in the Russo-Japanese war to its defeat in World War II.