Ever since War Department propaganda films set the mold, historians have pretty much followed: the road to Pearl Harbor began in 1931 with Japanese aggression in Manchuria. Any "revision" regarding the War in the Pacific has its own set of problems--engendering controversy, often running up against patriotic sentiments and the tendency in American culture to see things in black and white, good vs. evil. No wonder there has been little interest in reexamining the events leading up to Pearl Harbor. History is complex, however, and it is a useful exercise to explore how events can be viewed in a different light from another nation's view of its history. This other view is encapsulated by the notion of a Japanese Monroe Doctrine for Asia, a Japanese policy that was rejected by American policymakers during the 1930s and 1940s, ignored during the war, and forgotten ever since. In this article, the author discusses how going back further before 1931 will provide a whole new perspective on the conflict between the United States and Japan that led to the bombing of the Pearl Harbor. (Contains 36 endnotes.)