The mood was tense in Geneva on the morning of Feb. 24, 1933. That day, Yosuke Matsuoka, who led the Japanese delegation, was scheduled to address the 44 member states of the League of Nations. He faced a difficult task: defend his country’s aggressive takeover of Manchuria in 1931. Matsuoka knew there was little sympathy for Japan’s position among his audience. Still, he sounded a composed if defiant note. Halfway through his remarks though, he lost his cool and, unable to contain himself, blurted out: “Manchuria belongs to us by right. Read your history!”
It was pure bombast. It was also to no avail. Soon after he returned to his seat, the delegates voted overwhelmingly to censure Japan and called upon Tokyo to withdraw its forces from Manchuria. In a stunning move, Matsuoka then announced that his country was leaving the League of Nations. As he walked out, he left no doubt about Japan’s intentions: we are “not coming back.”