Japan’s Attack On Pearl Harbor
A catastrophic event occurred on December 7, 1941 where Japan attacked Pearl Harbor which was devastating for many, especially for those who were affected. In 1941, Japan made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor where 2,000 soldiers died. Japan damaged the base by launching six aircraft carriers and sunk 3 U. S carriers. This event eventually led the United States to declare war on Japan into World War II. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because Japan wanted to be the “new order”, was outraged of the U. S embargoing, and did not want to be tyrannized by the United States.
Japan announced the “new order” in 1938 which was Japan’s desire to rule over the world. Most countries have the desire to control another country, but Japan wanted to control more than just one country. Japan’s Emperor was Hideki Tojo, and his only wish was to control the nations and gain all the power possible to be a powerful leader. One way that they took control is by taking Manchuria for its land and resources. This is significant because it shows how Japan was trying to control the Soviet Union. Japan was eager to be dominant over every nation and was capable of doing anything to get what they want.
On July, 1941 the United States provided an embargo which meant that the U. S was attempting to stop trading goods. The U. S was blocking ways for Japan to gain power from them. The U. S began an embargo of aircraft parts against Japan and Congress passed the Naval Expansion. This shows that the United States did not like the “new order” which is why they did this. The U. S also prohibited trade of petroleum, steel, and scrap iron with Japan which made Japan slowly run out of resources. This is significant because it demonstrates that by the U. S doing these things, Japan got angry which could have been one of the biggest reasons why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
At this point, Japan was outraged with the U. S or what they had done to them. Because Japan wanted to increase their population they sent thousands of men to different countries to expand their amount of troops. However, the U. S was on counter of this idea “We can expect an expansion of our country only by stationing troops. This the United States does not welcome”. This is significant because it angers Japan more which causes them to get vengeance on the United States that lead to the attack. The United States’ actions influenced Japan to do the horrible things they did because they saw the U. S as trying to control them, but Japan wanted to be the ones to control them.
Overall, Japan was ambitious to gain power but in a way it backfired on them because the United States did not allow for them to take over. Both countries were hurt at the end, but Japan should have been satisfied with its power that it had. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor for three main reasons: Japan wanted to be powerful, was affected by the U. S embargo, and did not want to be controlled by others. The United States affected Japan as in making them angry which was the biggest reason why this event occurred, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor out of anger for what they had been taken away from the United States.
