The Attack of Pearl Harbor

Instead of giving into the United States demands, the Japanese had decided to finally put their surprise

Introduction. I chose this battle because I had been hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor, but I did not know much about it. This paper talks about the countries that fought in this battle, where the battle was fought, what the geography was like during the battle, what the weather was like, what happened during this battle, how many casualties occurred, other things I learned about the battle, who won the battle, and how the battle was important to WWII.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his war speech and asserted December 7, 1941 as, “a date which will live in infamy.” The United States’ naval bases stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were struck by Japanese planes intentionally and promptly. The news of this attack on the Pearl Harbor shocked the world. It was devastating to the nation that were still in the throes of depression. Witnesses of this event painted a portrait of a nation stunned, but determined to rise again. The United States’ government had not disclosed a Pearl Harbor story to the public--that the U.S. had failed to act on advance information about a planned Japanese attack. Japan 's move against the United States was audacious enough to be considered no more than a slight possibility, although the potential for an attack had been widely discussed.

On December 7, 1941 Japan bombed The United States at Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor lasted very short than what you would expect which was only one day. Before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, they started war with different nations that were around them. They did this to get other nation’s materials, for an example, oil, lumber, and coal. Japan was foolish for attacking the United States during WWII at Pearl Harbor; their motive was to take over the islands that the United States owned to become more powerful, in contempt of the end the Japanese lost and their cities were destroyed.

During the Imperial Conference of December 1, 1941, Prime Minister Tojo announced that “The United States not only refused to make even one concession” but that “At the same time, the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and China increased their economic and military pressure against us” (87). This gave Japan no choice but to begin a war with the U.S., Japan, and the Netherlands. Additionally, Foreign Minister Togo emphasized that Japan could not accept the proposal made by the U.S. because the conditions would hinder and put at risk the success of the Japanese Empire. In order for Japan to not only continue working towards establishing a New Order for East Asia, but to also maintain their position on an international level, war was the necessary step to take because if they continued to try to negotiate then they would most definitely have regressed.

What did all of this have to do with the U.S.? Well, because the U.S. had ties with East Asia, politically and economically, the decisions Japan were making were also affecting the U.S. So, America took it upon itself to increase military and financial aid to China. The reason this decision was made was to cut off oil shipments and raw materials to Japan. This is what really angered the Japanese.

As early as 1932, the United States began warning Japan about its aggression toward China (Doc. A). The U.S. claimed they would not recognize new territories because it violated the Kellogg Briand Pact that made war illegal. They also chose to not recognize new treaties as the open door policy with China was violated. FDR would later deliver his famous “Quarantine Speech” regarding the Japanese invasion of China in which he encouraged the peace-loving nations to take action against military expansionism (Doc. 1).

On December 7, 1941, one of the most devastating attacks in United States history occurred at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of that day, unsuspecting soldiers were going about their regular duties when an air attack from Japan hit them. Japan sent hundreds of airplanes carrying bombs that brought utter destruction and devastation to hundreds of military equipment, airplanes, and weapons. In a relatively short period of time, 2,402 Americans were killed, and 1,282 were wounded (Merriam). The attacks came during a time where no one on the military base was expecting it, nor were they prepared for such an act to occur. The impact that it had on the United States was astounding. It was shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor that the United States declared war on Japan and officially entered World War II (Hill). This war against Hitler and the Nazis was one that the United States had avoided since its initiation, but after this attack, the U.S. had no choice but to join the already ongoing war.

Japanese were continuously looking to take over countries around, especially at Asian mainland. In 1905, they took Korea, following with much of Manchuria region in China, and there was nothing holding them back, except American Open Door Policy. Most pressing was the tensions between our and Japanese’s naval buildup, with both sides interested in the same target – a British navy. Secretary of State C. E. Hughes introduced a plan to disarm this situation and there were several agreements signed, like the Five Power Treaty establishing

During WWII, Japan was attempting to expand their territories by taking over Manchuria and many other places. The U.S., however, said that they “would refuse to recognize any territorial acquisitions that violate American treaty rights” (Bordelon). Japan didn’t listen to America’s threats and still went on to violate the Kellogg-Briand Treaty of 1928 and the Open Door Policy Pact of 1922. This caused the relationship between to grow even worse because it made the U.S. concerned that they wouldn’t be able to protect their imports of tin, rubber, and oil. In addition, Japan was continually violating treaties and taking over little islands near the United States in Hawaii. As a result, the U.S. became increasingly worried and knew they needed

“Pearl Harbor is an inlet, or bay on the southern coast of Oahu, an island in Hawaii.” The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack on the U.S naval base, located in Hawaii. On December 7, 1941 Japanese warplanes carried out an attack on the U.S naval base Pearl Harbor. Japan’s plan was to just completely destroy the pacific fleet. That way the Americans would not be able to fight back as Japan’s armed forces spread across the south pacific. It lasted for two hours, but affected thousands people. This event brought the United States into WWII. To this day, this event is still remembered as the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The growing tension between Japan and the west stemmed from a conflict of autonomy and responsibility. Japan saw its actions as part of a national quest for autonomy, self-sufficiency, and European rivalry. The United States and Europe, however, saw Japanese expansion as irresponsible. From their perspective Japanese imperialism violated treaties, which set down the acceptable code of conduct of nations. The United States in particular saw Japanese occupation of East Asian countries as a violation of those countries’ own rights to autonomous leadership and self rule.

there were no raw materials for them to use. The country was in a mess

country, and Japan had taken over parts of China. The United States of America was stuck in the

Japan did not stop taking advantage of the war to obtain their objectives. In order to put China under its full control and to prepare for future war with United States, Japan tended to ally with Russia rather than Britain, because the former could better serve its interests. The signing of 4 Russo-Japanese conventions was the evidence. Japan even further threatened Russia to ally with Germany to gain more concessions in Manchuria. In addition, Japan shared the sphere of influence of Britain in Yangzi Valley by forcing China to sign Twenty-One Demands. Japanese attitudes toward Yuan Shikai also altered from collaboration (put Yuan into the pocket) to kill him (because of his insubordination), showing Japan’s bold ambition in forming hegemony in Asia. The Siberian Intervention was another instance. Japan headed to the Russian Far East to expand its power on the continent rather than to defend against Bolshevik or German power east (p.202). Therefore, World War I was a crucial foreign policy event in the formation process of Imperial