What caused Japan to attack Pear Harbor?

1. 74

   platinumOwl4posted 7 years ago

   What caused Japan to attack Pear Harbor?
   
   There is ample information on it happened, but very little if any on why. When one nation attacks another there must be a reason. If you know the answer expand on it please.

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2. 60

   uncorrectedvisionposted 7 years ago

   Military brilliance.  By the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor Japanese-American foreign relations had deteriorated to the point that war was inevitable.  Japan's militarism and designs on Asia had forced the US into an old fashioned conflict over Pacific Rim dominance(similar to what is emerging with China).  The result was a struggle between the United States, supporter of free trade and Japan, seeker of natural resources - even at gun point.  The conflict itself was inevitable, the attack on Pearl Harbor was bold, unpredictable and unexpected.
   
   American Naval Academy graduates had been staging attacks on Pearl since the construction of the Pacific Fleet HQ there decades before but few people actually thought the resources and skills necessary to stage the attack existed in the Japanese Navy.  It was a clear demonstration of the power of planning, secrecy and the deadliest force, still, in the world - the carrier battle group.

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3. 60

   Jonesy0311posted 7 years ago

   Among the legion of reasons, the one that probably angered Japan the most was when the U.S. placed an embargo on Japan. Therein, steel, iron, and aviation fuel was witheld from Japan. It was cited that this embargo was placed due to Japan's occupation of French indochina. Japan was and is laregly an importer with almost no natural resources of its own. Therefore, they were understandably upset. The embargo crippled Japan's military and reduced its oil supply by 90%. Ultimately, the U.S. won the war. However, it's pretty obvious in hindsight that the U.S. brought the attack on itself due to a flawed (as it is currently) foreign policy.

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4. 74

   platinumOwl4posted 7 years ago

   uncorrecteddivision and Jonesy0311, I thank you both for your assitance with solving this mystery.

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