During World War II, why did the Japanese leadship choose to attack pearl harbor - what was its motivation?

Answer 1

They believed that if they wiped out the USA Pacific fleet, the USA would less able or unable to interfere with Japans Military Operation and Naval Empire...

Sorry, for those of you have had to learn from the recently decrepid and incompetent public educational system in the USA.... Pearl Harbor was the base of the USA Pacific Fleet.
For whatever reason, most of the USA Pacific fleet was in harbor at anchor at the time of the attack. Since the USA had not entered the war at that time and was operating under an isolationist attitude, the attack was a devasting, unprovoked(arguable), sneaky and unforewarned act of cowardice. The attack led directly to the USA Declaring War on Japan. (Some say Government and Military officials allowed the attack so the USA General population would support going to war) In any case, the president of the USA proclaimed in his speach declaring war: "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.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific....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...."

read sources below for details and alternative explanations.

Answer 2

The Japanese Government was working to establish a Japanese dominated economic zone including all the islands north of Australia, Burma, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and portions of China. They already occupied or controlled much of this area. The United States Navy was viewed as the only force that could deter their plans. The attack on Pearl Harbor followed a lot of political rhetoric in the US that the US should stay out of any war. The Nippon leadership underestimated the Americans and basically attacked for economic reasons

Answer 3

With the Japanese spreading their imperialism all over the Pacific,it was beleived by the Imperial Staff that Hawaii was the first tep to attacking America.The plan was that the Japanese Ambassador in Washington D.C. was supposed to present the Secretary of State,Gordon Hull with the news that all American forces were supposed to be removed from Hawaii ,Midway Island,and the Phillipines.
Unfortunately,Japan had come up with a new code that had been broken down and encrypted into fourteen parts. The regular code breaker at the Japanese Embassy didn't show up for work so a new person had to break the code which took even longer. Another factor was that no one had noticed the time change from Hawaii to Washington.
The fleet commander had been told that at approximately 0700 hours,to begin his attack after the ultimatum had been presented. But by the time the code had been deciphered and put together,the Japanese Ambassador showed up at the office of the Secretary of State AFTER the attack had already begun.

Answer 4

At the time Japan was at war with China and had conquered and occupied some of China. They also did some atrocities particularly the "Rape of Nanking".

The United States used diplomacy to ask Japan to withdraw. When that didn't work the United States set up an embargo against Japan and refused to sell it any raw materials including crude oil or gasoline.

Next as the Japanese attacks started to spread to islands in the South China Sea the U.S. Navy moved from San Diego as it's main port and set up Pearl Harbor to be it's main base for it's Pacific fleet so the U.S. fleet would be ready to defend the Philippines as well as other U.S. possessions and protectorates in the South Pacific. But American opinion at the time was that it did not want to become embroiled in another foreign war after WWI.

The Japanese's government was dominated at the time by polititians who supported the army and supported the policy of establishing a Japanese Empire which would consist of virtually all Asia and all the European and American Possessions in the Pacific.

The Japanese thought if they could destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet then they could carry out their conquest of the rest of their Empire. The European nations could not fight them effectively because they were fighting Nazi Germany at the time. That left the United States as the only threat and the Japanese thought that if they could completely destroy the American Pacific fleet that they could conquer U.S. troops on the ground because they could not be supported or resupplied.

To get rid of the US Pacific fleet, they attacked Pearl Harbor when they thought all the fleet was in the base.

Answer 5

it was a matter of oil,the usa and britian had cut off the supply of oil to japan becuase at the time japan decided to occupy french indochina,now vietnam,so to force japan out they cut off the oil to japan.japan only had a 3 months supply of oil beofre they would run out.so japan decided that they had to secure there own oil supplies with a major expansion of there empire and most of the oil in the region was in indonesia.japan could have backed down but that would have been a major embarassment to the country and the usa and britian would give them no way out.they attacked pearl harbor becuase the american pacific fleet was the largest and the most threatening to japanese plans.they were given no choice

Answer 6

I believe it was because their espionage indicated that a majority of the American Navel Fleet was docked there. They thought they could knock out our navel power with one fell swoop. Our motivation for allowing it to happen was probably the fact that most Americans were sitting on the fence about being involved in the conflict. The attack on Pearl Harbor solidified our resolve. Luckily we were able to retaliate at Midway.

Answer 7

It was the only card they had left to play...so to speak. They gambled that the US fleet would be knocked out and US isolationist public opinion would not have the will to carry on a war. This was all in the context of an oil embargo the US had imposed, which would've crippled the Japanese war machine. Their gamble failed on all points.

Answer 8

The United States Navy had many battleships parked at Pearl Harbor. They hit a miliary target. That was the Japanese leadership's motivation.
To weaken our Navy.

Good luck and may God bless you.

Answer 9

Pearl Harbor grew to become into the reason the united statesdisregarded the coverage of neutrality and joined WW2 on the Allies factor. Japan grew to become a very aggresive united states and the Leauge of countries (quite what the UN is as we talk) warned that they could desire to end the aggresion. Japan did no longer hear; their consultant left the League of countries. in spite of the particular indisputable fact that united statesa. grew to become into no longer a factor of the war yet, they nevertheless disapproved of Japan's drastic and aggresive movements and subsequently, they closed off all commerce to and from Japan. This grew to become right into a important situation for Japan simply by fact they have been scuffling with a war, and that they depended on different international places fairly for organic aspects simply by fact they have none themselves. the eastern grew to become truly annoyed on the united statesdue to the fact they have been suffering without each and every of the commerce. They subsequently had some dumb concept that they could "punish" united statesa. for it and suprise attack a considered necessary armed forces base, Pearl Harbor. This grew to become right into a very dumb pass simply by fact up interior the previous, the president, FDR grew to become into itching for a reason to bypass to war on the Allies factor. Congress, despite if, did no longer enable him to declare war simply by fact the united statesturned into no longer right now in touch and there grew to become into no danger to them, (up till then) and that they had a coverage of neutrality. The Japenese, with their attack on Pearl Harbor, gave us a reason to bypass to war. Immediatly after the attack, the united statesjoined the war and kicked Japanes butt alongside with something of the Axis powers. wish I helped =)

Answer 10

I learned that they wanted to disable the US in case they entered the war. Of course, now I'm learning that history is often biased, so I'm curious what Japanese people think.