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Almost all of us know about the war of the 1940s between America and Japan. One of the most remembered historical events that took place during World War II was the Pearl Harbor attack. It was a planned military invasion by the Japanese air forces and navy with the aim to destroy the American pacific fleet. Pearl Harbor was the US base that was located in Honolulu Oahu Island, the territory of Hawaii. The first Japanese fighter airplane appeared at Pearl Harbor before 08:00 am, Sunday, 7 December 1941. In this history essay, we will discuss why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor and what happened afterward.
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Why did Japan Bomb Pearl Harbor Essay – 900 Word Long Essay
The Japanese planned military invasion against the American pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor is one of the most important military events that happened in World War II. It was a fine Sunday morning when hundreds of Japanese fighter and bomber plans entered the US naval base Pearl Harbor and struck havoc on poor Americans who did not see this one coming. In this history essay, we will discuss why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and what was the outcome of this invasion.
The Background
Tensions between Japan and the United States were mounting for the better part of a whole decade. Japan after its successful war campaigns against China in 1894 and Russia in 1904 was determined to grow its influence with expansion plans in the Southeast Asian region. On the other hand, the United States of America was determined to stop Japan’s growing influence and halt its expansion plans. To stop Japan from advancing any further the US imposed some heavy sanctions on Japan.
Under these sanctions, the US froze all Japanese assets on the 26th of July 1941, and on 1st August 1941, the US also stopped oil exports to Japan. Oil was Japan’s most crucial import as more than 80% of Japan’s oil came from the US.
Japan was left alone on an Island with a hard choice to make, either submit to American demands or attack the US Pearl Harbor base to eliminate the US from the Pacific to grow Japan’s’ influence in the Southeast Asian region. War became inevitable as Japan was refusing to bow down but the stacks were heavily stacked against them. The only good chance for Japan was to launch a surprise attack to catch the US troops off-guard.
Why Japan Choose to Attack Pearl Harbor
Japan chose to attack Pearl Harbor for four main reasons:
- Japan wanted to eliminate the US pacific fleet so that no one would oppose them when they made their way into the Southeast Asian region. Taking control of the Pacific also paved the Japanese way into south pacific countries especially Malaya (now Malaysia and Singapore) and Brunei as both these countries are rich in oil, tin, and rubber.
- The US was constantly threatening Japan and was always there to stop Japan’s global expansion. The US put heavy economic sanctions on them to cut off all their trade and demanded that Japan take all its forces out of China. This was not acceptable for the Japanese government and they wanted to take revenge.
- Pearl Harbor was about 400 miles away from mainland Japan and the US never expected an attack on Pearl Harbor. Another reason Japan attacked Pearl Harbor is that the United States naval base was mostly left unprotected; because of this the Japanese knew that they would enter without facing any resistance.
- Attacking Pearl Harbor was also a symbol for the US to never come in the way of Japanese forces ever again.
The Japanese Attack
Around two hundred (200) Japanese fighter planes including dive bombers and torpedoes entered US naval base Pearl Harbor before 8 am. Most of the Americans were sleeping when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The Japanese planes started spreading havoc as they started destroying everything in their way. Bombs hit all the eight anchored US battleships, USS Arizona battleship burst into flames with a huge explosion.
The naval vessels USS Oklahoma, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, and USS California were also destroyed in the first 30 minutes of the Japanese invasion. Japan also destroyed around 300 US fighter planes. Only some US fighter planes made it into the sky to defend the US naval base. Most people thought that Japanese forces got an edge over America after this surprise attack.
Results of the Attack
After this devastating surprise attack, the US also declared war on Japan. The Japanese managed to make an impression on the US as the Japanese believed that the US will now lift the sanctions and come to terms with them. Sadly, more than 2400 Americans died and around 300 US aircraft were destroyed. Luckily for the US, no US aircraft carrier was present at Pearl Harbor at that time and hence none of them were destroyed.
Consequences of The Pearl Harbor Attack
Under the leadership of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the US decided to enter World War II. The war continued for many years ahead until president Franklin died and Harry Truman took charge of the office. Turman wanted to end the war after he discovered that an atomic bomb has been made by US scientists. Turman then asked the Japanese for unconditional surrender or to suffer heavy losses. As expected, the Japanese refused to surrender.
On the 6th of August 1945, an American Bomber plane entered Japan with an atomic bomb named “Little Boy“. This atomic bomb was dropped onto Hiroshima and sadly 80,000 people died as a result of the massive explosions and radiation. On the 9th of August, another US bomber entered Japan this time with an atomic bomb named “Fat Man” which was then dropped onto Nagasaki, and around 39000 people were killed. After the destruction of two cities, the Japanese finally surrendered to America and the war was over.
FAQs
What is a Simple Answer on Why did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor?
Japan was left with no choice; they had to either attack or submit to the US. The Japanese decided to launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to eliminate US power from the Pacific region.
What were The Three Main Reasons for The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor?
The first reason was heavy US sanctions imposed on Japan. The second reason was that the US refused Japan from invading China and Southeast Asia. The third reason was that Japan wanted to eliminate the US from the Pacific.
What was The American Response to The Japanese Attack?
Americans after years of fighting the war finally decided to launch a nuclear attack on Japan. The US bombers destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan was forced to surrender.