Japanese Attack On Pearl Harbour example essay topic

Why Did The Japanese Attack Pearl Harbour? On 7th December 1941 the Japanese attacked the United States Pacific Naval Fleet at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. In just two hours 18 warships, 190 aircraft and over 2,500 servicemen had lost their lives. This event changed the war throughout the world with the most powerful nation then involved. Shortly after the attack, US congress had declared war on Japan.

As one historian said, 'Japan simply awaked the sleeping giant'. There are many factors that are thought to have triggered the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. These include both factors where Japan felt provoked by the USA and the Japanese desire to build a Pacific Empire. Roosevelt had tried to keep the war in Europe and the Pacific away from his country due to the lack of support for a war. Instead he had lent US military machinery and weapons to help the UK in Europe. If the Nazi's took England too, America would have little political support and could be next on Hitler's list.

Emergency talks were made between Japanese and American leaders, but Japan would not comply with America's demands. These were for Japan to withdraw from all parts of China and for them to withdraw from the Tripartite Pact that they had signed with Germany and Italy, promising support to each other. At this point Roosevelt began to feel unhappy with what was going on in the Pacific. He increased heavy tariffs on Japanese goods that were being imported in and out of the country. 1938 then saw the introduction of a 'moral embargo' on Japan, where the US Government asked industry to refrain from selling any aircraft or weapons to them that could later be used against America. Another major blow to the Japanese came in 1941 when oil sanctions were introduced on Japan.

At this point Japan had only enough oil to last their military for one month. This would be a serious disadvantage, not just for the protection of their own country, but also when they were to continue expanding their empire. Ordinary Japanese people were told that America was a land of great economic depression (in fact they were just getting over it) full of gangsters and thieves. They believed that they, the Japanese could easily beat them in a war, and anyway they would never back down once a war had started. This would be a sin. Instead they were expected to die gloriously and courageously for their emperor.

Japan also had much confidence in their military after their spectacular invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and China six years later. They felt it would be possible for them to continue to expand their empire. This would provide more living space for its people but their main aim was to make their empire self- sufficient. In order to survive without foreign goods being imported they needed rice, coal, rubber and most importantly oil to power their military. The only thing in their way was President Roosevelt in America. Japan knew that the US would enter into a war against them when they made their next foreign attack.

Their next main objective was to attack the Dutch East Indies south of Japan. General Hiked i Tojo realised that an attack on Pearl harbour would put back the American navy around one year, thus giving his forces time to take the Dutch East Indies with minimum interruption from the Americans. They would then be able to take any resources they needed, and be in a position to fight the Americans which they thought would be facilitated by their control of much of the Pacific with its large man power, industry and resources. I believe that the Japanese's main reason for starting war with the Americans was their wish to build a self- sufficient Pacific empire. They knew the only way to do this would be to significantly disable the Americans before they came into the war anyway. They specifically chose Pearl Harbour because it was the base of the Americans most powerful military, and the Japanese believed that the war with America would be decided at sea.

After they had completed their objective they would be one of the worlds strongest empires and could easily continue towards Europe.