The Attack on Pearl Harbor Essay

Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor seems unwise, ill-judged, and senseless. The attack was meant to keep the U.S. out of the war, but had the opposite effect and instead made them want to fight and join it. Japan, at this time, was not a major power and having them attack one of the biggest major powers by bombing the U.S. naval base in Hawaii didn’t appear like an appropriate idea for them. Then why did they do it? Japan’s reasons for attacking Pearl Harbor was their plan for a ‘new’ world order, the U.S. oil embargo, and the relocation and expansion of the U.S. naval fleet.

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan…It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.” (Senate Document No. 148) This speech would echo through history as the moment the United States officially entered the most costly five year period in all of human history. President Roosevelt continued stating multiple islands and American

It was a bright Sunday morning on December 7, 1941. Citizens were starting off their day just like any other day in Hawaii. Ships that were docked on the Hawaiian shores were ready to depart that morning. Along with the ships were 43,000 American soldiers.The skies were quiet and beautiful. But then, at 7:53 a.m, the streets were suddenly filled with terrified people, screaming and shouting, running for their lives. Nobody was prepared for the following attack.

Planning had begun early in 1941 under the oversight of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. He won approval for formal planning and training for an attack from the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff, but only after much conflict with the Japanese Naval Headquarters (Parshall, 2011). Over the next several months, pilots were trained, equipment was prepared, and intelligence was collected. Despite these preparations, Emperor Hirohito did not approve the attack plan until November 5, 1941. By late 1941 many people in the United States and the general public in Japan believed that the conflict between the two nations was imminent. While United States Pacific bases had been placed on high alert on many occasions, but U.S. officials doubted Pearl Harbor would be the first target; instead, they expected the Philippines would be attacked first. They also believed that Japan was not capable of mounting more than one major naval operation at a time (Parshall, 2011). Ever since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, there has been much debate as to how and why the United States was caught off-guard by the attack, and how much American officials knew of these Japanese

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval plus the air forces of the Empire of Japan.” The bombing of Pearl Harbor was the start of America’s entrance into the Second World War. Just before 08:00 on the Sunday morning, hundreds of fighter planes descended onto the naval base incapacitating almost 20 naval vessels along with over 300 airplanes. The attack on Pearl Harbor also killed over 2,400 Americans

American Intelligence broke Japanese codes but misunderstood the intent of the Japanese messages. Decoded messages made it clear that an attack would come in a matter of days after November 29, but the place of attack was not clear. Most officials were convinced Japan would move against British or Dutch possessions to the south. American Intelligence noted a fleet of Japanese ships sailing in the general direction of Hawaii but was more concerned with a large Japanese convoy moving toward the China Sea. Partly because of the vast distance between Hawaii and Japan, few officials believed an attack was possible on American territory.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor is an infamous day in America's history, as it was the event that brought the United States into World War II. One of the biggest questions left unanswered from that day was why Japan would attack the United States. However, there were many events leading up to that date that led to this bombing. Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor because of the American embargo on Japanese trade and the Japanese view that the United States posed a threat to Japan's power .

The United States were wanting to stay out of oversea affairs but with the sudden attack it gave President Roosevelt no choice but to enter the war. When Pearl Harbour was bombed, the United States affective immediately declared war against Japan. All six of the Japanese Aircraft Carriers which were involved with the attack were sunk by the Americans. There were multiple sea battles, bombing raids, and ultimately it led to the dropping of two bombs, one on Hiroshima and the other on Nagasaki. The Japanese leadership wanted to fight a weakened foe, so they tried to conquer the Pacific while the rest of the world was fighting elsewhere.

The Japanese concluded that our military would be too big and strong in a couple of years, so Japan decided to strike first and bombed Pearl Harbor. The Prime Minister and War Minister of Japan said “when I think about the strengthening of American defenses in the Southwest Pacific, the expansion of the American fleet,...I see no end to the difficulties...I fear that we would become a third-class nation after two or three years if we just sat tight.” Japan bombed Pearl Harbor because they believed if they waited too long, the U.S would be unstoppable.

There were many events that led up to Japan making the decision to bomb Pearl Harbor. It all started with Japan wanting to expand their power. Japan was an island nation, it was

“December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” (Roosevelt). Japan surprise attacked the Hawaiian naval base, Pearl Harbor, approximately at 7:55 am. The intent of the Japanese strike was to prevent the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with plans to seize overseas territories belonging to United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States.

Misconception? On December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched an “unexpectedly” attacked Pearl Harbor. The event lead to the deaths of 2,403 Americans. The attack is seen as complete unjustifiable attack.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces executed a surprise attack on a naval base stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese were able to destroy American naval supplies including vessels, battleships, and airplanes. As a result of the attack, more than 2,000 Americans were killed some of which were soldiers and civilians, and at least 1,000 were injured. The attack was planned perfectly for they attacked early on a Sunday morning, which caught the people in Honolulu, Hawaii off guard. The Japanese were able to carry out their attack on the United States because of various spies, their interference with American technology, and the secrecy of their strategies. The attack led to Franklin D. Roosevelt announcing that the position of the United States would be changing from a neutral nation to an allied force.

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, at 7:55 AM the Japanese Empire led a surprise attack on the US Naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, that would leave millions of Americans in shock, and heartbroken. Before the attack, the United States kept a low profile on International affairs, and concentrated on the domestic affairs at hand. This tragic moment in American history forever remembered. It is a mournful day for the American people, although, for the Japanese Empire it was an honorable day, one they would call a

Japan's Attack on Pearl Harbour In December 1941, Pearl Harbour was attacked by the Japanese. It was the consequence of a series of events which brought tension between Japan and America to boiling point. Japan was a country growing in power and stature and America soon came to realise that this growth could prove a threat to them. America aimed to stop Japan's growth in its tracks as they realised that if the situation was left to evolve much longer then the situation may be out of their control.