Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor? The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor came after months of negotiations between Washington and Tokyo. Although these negotiations did not produce a solution, Japan was still determined to attack the U.S. fleet and regain control of the Pacific. The attack was carried out on December 7, 1941. While there were several reasons why Japan attacked, two main factors contributed to its decision.
First, the Japanese army was emboldened by Hirohito, the Japanese prime minister at the time. The army had recently been given a veto over forming the government. This resulted in a military dictatorship in the country. The Japanese government had to make concessions to the United States in order to prevent a revolution.
Second, Japan had imperial ambitions. The attack on Pearl Harbor was designed to cut America off at the knees, and decimate America’s naval power. However, the United States responded with trade embargos and economic sanctions. The oil embargo was particularly damaging for Japan, as the country depended on imported oil.
Japan was not content with this result and decided to attack Pearl Harbor as soon as it had completed the construction of the US Pacific Fleet. Although this was an unfortunate outcome, the United States and Japan were able to avoid a direct conflict and maintain an uneasy truce into 1940.
