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Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor Dbq

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On December 7, 1941 -- the day that will always be commemorated as “the date which will live in infamy” by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. On this day Japanese airplanes made a surprise attack on the US Naval base in Pearl Harbor. They destroyed many ships and killed many soldiers. It was this attack that forced the United States to enter World War II. Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor? Japan attacked Pearl Harbor for three main reasons which are The New Order, US Oil Embargo, and US Fleet Expansion. The first reason Japan attacked Pearl Harbor was because of the New Order. When Japan thinks of a new order to the world they think of themselves leading everyone, and when thinking of the old order they think of the old leaders: Great …show more content…

Japan moved into southern China causing FDR, ordering all of the Japanese assets to be frozen. But FDR did not want to cut off oil. FDR discussed with his cabinet on July 18, that he didn’t want to place an embargo because he felt that would cause tension and most likely mean for war. He felt that if the embargo was placed that it would cause Japan to take over the oil fields in the Netherland East Indies (Doc B). Before Japan seized the Netherland East Indies 80% of their oil came from the United States so they were extremely affected when we placed the embargo (Doc D). The Japanese leaders wanted to keep the flow of imported oil because they didn’t have any oil fields near them and due to being away from the mainland. But one month before the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States imposed an embargo on all the oil shipments to Japan. A month later Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. This evidence supports why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because Japan needed to expand to keep trade going and provide the supplies necessary to run the island nation. The American military stood in the way, and needed to be removed in order for Japan to continue growing. When the U.S. imposed an embargo on oil shipments to Japan, they had to take matters into their own hand to distract and damage the U.S. military. To keep sea trade going, they needed oil, and they had to invade the Netherlands and East Indies to do so, which …show more content…

A year before the US placed the embargo of aircraft and aircraft parts against Japan, the US Pacific Fleet was in California but a year after we placed the embargo against Japan President Roosevelt ordered the fleet to be moved to Pearl Harbor as a show of American power (Doc C). When Japan seized southern French Indo-China in July of 1941, Roosevelt responded by freezing Japanese assets in the United States and ending sales of oil to Japan. Japan chose to continue its diplomatic talks with the United States while at the same time secretly preparing for a coordinated assault throughout the Pacific. Japan’s leaders hoped that a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor would destroy American resolve and cripple the American navy for at least six months, giving Japan time to consolidate its new empire
(Doc C). Tojo was both Prime Minister and War Minister of Japan. He claimed that when he thought of the expansion of the American Fleet, “he could see no end to difficulty.” He feared that if Japan had just sat back and let America expand its fleet that they would become a third-class nation after two or three years (Doc E). This evidence supports why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because it is clear from Tojo’s statement that the American military posed a threat to Japan as well as creating other problems by expanding our Pacific

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