USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -By attacking Pearl Harbor Japan believes that it can severely cripple the U.S fleet and buy them time in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. So not only would they be able to launch their attacks without interference from the U.S they would also have time to dig in defensively and consolidate their gains.

Detailed explanation-2: -Since early 1941 the U.S. had been supplying Great Britain in its fight against the Nazis. It had also been pressuring Japan to halt its military expansion in Asia and the Pacific. With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. could no longer avoid an active fight.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was the impetus for the United States’ entrance into World War II. The United States declared war on Japan the following day, December 8. On December 11, Nazi Germany, Japan’s Axis ally, declared war on the United States.

Detailed explanation-4: -On December 7, 1941, a date that President Franklin D. Roosevelt claimed would “live in infamy, ” the Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a surprise aerial assault on Pearl Harbor. This unprovoked attack brought the United States into World War II, as it immediately declared war on Japan.

Detailed explanation-5: -While there is no single correct or simple reason for the attack, this lesson should help students realize that Japan’s motivation for attacking Pearl Harbor was driven by its political self-interests, its scarcity of economic resources and perceived opportunity costs, and America’s embargo policy.