please don't give me a 40,000 paragraph answer. give me the long story short. my dad says it had something to do with steel. need fast answers please. i really want to know.
2007-11-09 01:47:23 · 15 answers · asked by brianna(: 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
The main reason Japan bombed the United States was because of economic sanctions that were already in place. Japan had lost 90% of it's oil because of these sanctions.
2007-11-09 01:55:03 · answer #1 · answered by staisil 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I will try to keep the answer brief.
Japan was part of the alliance that defeated Germany in WW1. In exchange for this assistance Japan received the former German bases in China. This is the beginning of the Imperial Japan of WW2. Japan began building its empire, and the Japanese military took control of the Japanese government.
Japan had expanded its empire by taking a large part of Asia, then called Manchuria it included both Korea's", and north eastern China. Based upon Japanese atrocities in China, the western world became critical of Japan and started supporting Chinese fractions in China.
Japan needed oil to feed its military machine so it could continue with its conquest of China. The US was Japans largest supplier of oil. The US gave Japan an ultimatum to cease its campaign in china or the US would cut the Oil supply to Japan. The US also was supply Japan with a large amount of steel but Japan was getting steel from areas that it had conquered and although it hurt Japans ability to fight the war it would not have the crippling effect that the lost of the oil supply would have.
Japans strategy was to destroy the US ability to fight a war in the pacific for 1 to 2 years. It was felt after that Japan would have enough oil from new sources that it could hold the US at bay. The Navy moved the fleet away from the Philippines to Hawaii thinking that it would be safe from Japanese bombers. This put the fleet out of range from the land based bombers in Formosa.
Japan struck Pearl Harbor because the US Pacific fleet was there. By taking out the US fleet in one deceives blow the entire Pacific would but under the control of the Japanese Navy. It would mean that the US would have to build a new fleet and fight its way across the pacific, Japan underestimated the American Industrial capabilities, and it failed to fully destroy the US fleet. The US naval ability was reduced, and partially contained by not crippled.
2007-11-09 10:19:26 · answer #2 · answered by DeSaxe 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The US (possibly in an attempt to be brought into the war by Japan) put a steel and oil embargo against Japan. Since Japan has no resources she was crippled during wartime. They had to do something.
The US housed a majority of the fleet at Pearl Harbor, so the attack was launched in an effort to cripple the US navy. The intent was that the US would see what they could/would do and fold on the embargo since they had no navy to speak of afterward. The US got lucky and only suffered minimal losses compared to what really should have happened.
The surprise attack thing was an accident, they intended to declare war just before delivering the detrimental blow.
Edit: misworded something because I was in a hurry.
2007-11-09 10:39:10 · answer #3 · answered by Showtunes 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
As the American were not on either side of the war yet, japan thought that by bombing pearl harbor would weaken American's power in terms of military as japan saw the American as a threat for their conquer in Asia.
2007-11-09 10:19:52 · answer #4 · answered by angsana1992 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
SHORT ANSWER they wanted to destroy the usa navy at base
LONG ANSWER:
the usa put an oil embargo on japan - no oil no ship air planes or tanks can move WITHOUT OIL and japan was already at war with britain and china
so japan (knowing america would attack / enter britains side in the war) bombed usa because soon they would run out of oil for japanese ships and be shooting ducks in the pacific. america had moved their fleet from oakland to hawaii next step was crossing the pacific to japan. japan tried to attack america pre-emtively and destroy the american navy so it couldnt attack the jap navy
2007-11-09 11:34:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Here, I go in less than 40,000 paragraphs...
Why did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor?
The Japanese performed a "pre-emptive strike."
If you are not sure what that is - go ask your father.
p.s. Thanks for the thumbs down, it appears you know more than I do. The pre-emptive strike was made in advance to their further conquests in Asia, which due to limitations - I didn't choose to go into here.
2007-11-09 10:20:53 · answer #6 · answered by WMD 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
because america did not like what the japanese were doing with the steel they stopped selling it to the japanese...japanese got mad...japanese bombed pearl harbor
2007-11-09 18:29:11 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The United States put an oil embargo on them. As the U.S. was their key supplier this would devastate their war efforts.
2007-11-09 09:55:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Simply put, just as most responders have relied....it was oil, black gold, Texas tea. Japan needed our oil to keep their war effort going. The United States repeatedly tried to hold our oil over Japan's head in trying to halt Japan's aggression.
2007-11-09 10:04:25 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
George Bush made them do it on the advice of Dick Cheney and Karl Rove.
Fact is their islands were so small they needed to expand and obtain natural resources...we denied them oil from our fields. The thought we would stop their expansion plans so they thought they should take us out first.
Tojo said: I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with terrible resolve. He was right.
2007-11-09 09:56:43 · answer #10 · answered by Bob W 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋