Japan and Pearl Harbor Japan

Japan and Pearl Harbor

Japan decided to strike Pearl Harbor after a series of events pushed her into a corner. Before World War II began, Japan was already at war with China. She had seized control of Manchuria and Nanking, and Beijing. Japan's intent was to establish a major presence in the Pacific. In retrospect, it appears as though Japan formulated a campaign for the Pacific while no one expected them to do so. Part of the campaign was to destroy the Chinese Nationalist party. (Craig 980) Japan also entered the Tripartite Pact with Germany in 1940. Albert Craig writes Japan had always "long admired Germany" (Craig 980) and joined them in a pact to defeat communism. An interesting twist to this pact is that fact that Germany "insisted that any alliance also be directed against the United States and Britain, to which the Japanese would not agree"(980). The idea of war should not be a total surprise since America placed Japan in a tough spot with embargoes from Washington. In addition, Washington was freezing Japanese assets in America. Japan was suffering and there were only a few viable options for them. Japan choices were either to "knuckle under to the Americans or break our of the embargo ring by a desperate attack on the oil supplies and other riches of Southeast Asia" (Bailey 843). Japan wanted to drive Western influences away from Japan and when Washington demanded Japan withdraw troops from China and Asia, she agreed and began deceptive negotiations with America and other concerned nations. While these negotiations were going on, Japan was secretly planning an attack on Pearl Harbor.

Japan's attack was successful and a complete surprise to all nations. America was aware Japan had notions of striking but there was no indication that America would be the target. Washington knew there was tension but there was no way of knowing just how far this country would go. Bailey states that no one in Washington believed the "Japanese were either strong enough or foolhardy enough to strike Hawaii" (843). In fact, just days before the attack, it was reported that war would be "sad for Japan to contemplate" (Army History) because she is the "most vulnerable nation in the world to attack and blockade" (Army History). However, it was a planned attack because Japan was "deliberately prolonging negotiations in Washington" (843). Another reason the attack was successful was the route the fighter pilots flew was rarely used and practically unnoticed. The attack also took place on a Sunday morning, with many crewmembers ashore. It is also worth noting that the weather was such that the fleet was simply not visible until it was just a few hundred miles from the islands. The strike was, for all intents and purposes, a perfectly executed sneak attack. The shock sustained by the American people has only been matched by those of September 11, 2001. The attack was also successful because it killed about 3,000 people. In addition, the American battleship fleet was eradicated and many aircraft were destroyed as well. The strike allowed Japan to buy some time and the hope was that there would be no interference with Japan's initiative to defeat Southeast Asia. This move is also important because it marks the event when America entered the war.