I think this is worth seeing if you haven't: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-29935592 I think it's one poppy for every British soldier killed during WWI (Edit: I don't think it takes much to imagine what it would look like if it included all the French and German and American and Russian and Italian and Canadian and Austrian and Hungarian and Australian and Serbian and Turkish and Indian and African and etc. and etc. too.)
She argues/presents the case that the IJA and IJN backed themselves into putting themselves on the line in front of the Emperor, late in 1941.
Couldn't help think (to get it back on WWI) how that is similar to what Germany did with AustroHungary in WWI.
Alec Guinness
He's brilliant in the BBC mini-series of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Well worth seeing too imo. (Edit 2: I think if I was asked who was the greatest screen actor of all time his name would spring to my mind first.)