Have you ever wondered why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor? In this article, we will talk a little about this historical event that changed the course of the world and marked the beginning of the end of World War II.
First, we must understand why the Japanese were at war. Japan wanted to expand its power by conquering other countries in Asia and various islands in the Pacific Ocean. Japan has a long reputation for wars, both internal and external.
Japan needed to expand its territory due to a scarcity of natural resources, which forced the country to import almost everything from abroad. At the time, the country was governed by a group of extremely nationalist military leaders who believed in war.
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The attack of Japan on Pearl Harbor
Japan wanted to follow the example of the colonial powers of Europe, which had a great influence on Japanese culture in the previous years. When Hitler started the war against Europe, the Japanese saw a good opportunity to expand their territory in Asia.
On December 7, 1941, in the early morning, the Japanese bombed the American base at Pearl Harbor, located in Hawaii. It was a bloody and violent event, killing more than 2,000 Americans, injuring many people, and destroying many vessels.
The attack was fundamental for Japan to enter the war and led, a few days later, to the declaration of war against the United States by Germany and Italy. Thus, it officially triggered World War II.
At the time of the attack, the Japanese already controlled half of the Pacific and occupied countries such as Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, and the Philippines. Because of this, Japan faced many problems with the United States, which led to the attack.
The entire attack on Pearl Harbor was meticulously planned, even years in advance. During this period, Japan had pacifist representatives negotiating with the U.S., disguising and catching Pearl Harbor by surprise.
Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
The United States represented an obstacle to Japanese expansion in the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the Japanese military decided to attack Pearl Harbor, which was the main U.S. naval base in the Pacific.
Not to mention that the relationship between Japan and the United States was not very good. A few months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States imposed an oil supply embargo on Japan in response to Japan’s expansionist policy.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor definitively marked the participation of Japan and the United States in World War II. Before, the United States only supported England against Germany, and Japan was trying to expand in Asia.
All of this was the result of a war between Japan and China that happened some time before in 1932. In that year, the Japanese invaded Manchuria in search of coal and minerals. In 1937, Japan even conquered Shanghai and Nanjing.
In other words, World War II began even before Hitler attacked Poland. The United States did not like this war between Japan and China at all, thus breaking the trade treaty with Japan in 1939. This somewhat influenced Japan to sign a cooperation treaty with Nazi Germany and attack Pearl Harbor.
There were no shortage of reasons to attack Pearl Harbor; in 1941, Japan was advancing into northern Indochina – Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia – exploring the area. The United States intervened and froze all Japanese assets in the U.S. and embargoed oil imports.
Of course, Japan was also to blame, as it refused diplomatic resolutions to withdraw from China and nearby territories and insisted on continuing its expansion. Japan has a long history of civil wars, which explains its persistent attitude.
What resulted from the attack on Pearl Harbor?
We know that Pearl Harbor made Americans very angry at the Japanese, thus destroying two populated cities in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with a nuclear bomb. The attack was also a surprise and killed 100 times more innocent people.
Despite all these evils and discord between the United States and Japan, the nuclear event was necessary for Japan to abandon its long history of wars and become one of the most peaceful countries in the world, proving that a country can change.
Wouldn’t it be great if Brazil also stopped being a corrupt country full of criminals and became a first-world country like Japan? The same thing happened with Singapore and some other countries around the globe, which rose from the ashes and climbed the mountain.
The current relationship between Americans and Japanese is quite positive. The Japanese are currently heavily influenced by American culture, and the country is full of Americans, especially in the region of Okinawa, where the military base is located.
After World War II, Japan had to sign an agreement with the U.S. promising that it would not engage in wars, making the United States responsible for defending Japan, thus becoming great allies.
Of course, this did not come for free. Japan has a huge debt to the United States, even being responsible for the largest number of deaths. Still, both countries are influenced by each other’s cultures.
Currently, Japanese visit Hawaii, have a passport with free entry to the United States, and many other privileges that we Brazilians do not have. Despite the resentment of some people who suffered from the war, both countries manage to see each other in a positive light.
I hope this article has helped you understand how and why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. What did you think of this article? If you liked it, don’t forget to share and leave your comments.
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