Why did Japan attack pearl harbor?

Question

I was told it had something to do with oil

Answer 1

Hi Blue,

You're right. It did have a lot to do with oil, and other natural resources as well. The Japanese wanted to expand their empire throughout the Pacific Rim region. Japan had a large economy but not many natural resources, and they wanted unlimited access to the resources of the orient. But the US stood in the way of their total dominance of the region.

A previous poster has said the Japanese wanted to invade Hawaii, and that is incorrect. The Japanese never intended to invade. Their attack force had no ground troops. Hawaii was too far for the Japanese to take and hold. They simply wanted to destroy the American Pacific fleet in hopes of forcing the Americans to sue for peace because they no longer had a Pacific navy. But fortunately for the Americans, their aircraft carriers were not in port at the time of the attack. What the Japanese did not count on is that the Americans would instead fight to the death after being attacked. It was this miscalculation that cost Japan the war.

Answer 2

The U.S. was using diplomatic solution to get Japan out of China. It was for selfish reason, because China was a important trade partner in the Early 1900's with the U.S. Japan lacked oil and invaded South East asia. Japan feared the U.S. would cut off their oil supply and so they attacked Pearl Harbor, thinking if they devastated our Navy, we would just give up any military action in Asia. It fortuantely had an opposite effect.

Answer 3

Pearl Harbor is a simple embayment on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep water naval base: headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941 brought the United States into World War II.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, planes and midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy began a surprise attack on the U.S. under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. It has to be remarked that the attack might have been no surprise as vital intelligence information about the imminent attack was not passed to the Navy commander Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Army commander Walter Short. This attack brought the United States into World War II. At 6:00 a.m. on December 7, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 planes composed of torpedo bombers, dive-bombers, level bombers and fighters, the most well remembered Japanese plane being the Mitsubishi Zero. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations at 7:53 a.m. They attacked military airfields and at the same time they hit the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. Overall, twenty-one ships of the U.S. Pacific fleet were damaged and the death toll reached 2,403, along with 68 civilians and 1,178 injured.

Established as the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard in 1908, this former coaling station has grown to play a central role in maintaining the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet. It is the largest naval repair facility in the broad expanse of the Pacific between the west coast of the United States and the Far East. The Shipyard was heavily involved in repairing the Pacific Fleet following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Answer 4

Mostly to prevent the US from interfering with their expansionist agenda in the Pacific. The Japanese were convinced that America would not fight back, and would take Pearl Harbor as a warning.

Answer 5

gentleman has all the right details. my 2 cents is this . If the Japanese had the men and stayed and did a ground assult of the island instead of leaving the outcome would have been much different. They let the U.S. keep their harbour and therefore a base to work with.

Answer 6

To take out the U.S. aircraft carriers rendering the Pacific fleet as an easy opponent for domination of the expanding empire, Luckily for us, the carriers were out to sea, an amazing time in History, when people had back bone, and were NOT afraid to engage an enemy, this generation had "BALLS", and Incinerated there opponents in the end, they did'nt start the fight bit, they sure finished it !

Answer 7

Japan wanted to be almighty and prove that they could destroy the backbone of the Pacific War..but it failed as the American only became full of vengeance and it led the way for the Japanes surrendr eventually...They "put the nails in their coffin!' Many pilots did not even know their target on that day and were only following orders which I am not tryng to make an excuse for the attack ...It never should have been carried out..

Answer 8

Yes, oil and steel supplies. We were their suppliers. They invaded Manchuria and Indochina to gain territory and raw materials (rubber, lumber, etc) in the 1930's. We told them to knock it off and behave themselves or we'd stop selling them the stuff they needed (oil and metal). They refused. We made good on our threat to stop selling them vital supplies. They got pissed, saw us as interfering with their plans, and attacked. That's the very short, much simplified version anyway.

Answer 9

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii because it was the closest and most formidable naval base around. They knew that if they could take control of the harbor, they could wittle away much of the United States' troops.

Answer 10

they were expasionists, aligning w/ hitler for world domination. They thought the americans would surrender easily. They were also on the ground in Alaska, possibly after oil there. They wanted to be a great empire like britain. Most agree they shouldn't have attacked us, but maybe our involvement was inevitable and they hoped to stamp us out.