Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor was an American naval base based in Honolulu, Hawaii which harbored eight American battle ships. Just before 8:00 AM on December 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese fighter planes. The attack lasted just two hours but left severe damages too many people stationed there, ships, planes, and the American people. The attack came as a surprise for the people of America and the men and women stationed at the naval base. Japanese fighter planes successfully destroyed twenty American naval vessels, eight battle ships, and more than three hundred planes. More than two thousand American soldiers and sailors were killed during this attack. Pearl Harbor was an attack that shocked and scarred the American people for decades to
The war department of the United States had been intercepting secret cables between the Tokyo and the Japanese embassy in Washington. They thought the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor on Sunday, November 30th. Japanese also had become increasingly more suspicious of the United States military power. They were really paying close attention to the west coast, the Panama Canal, and the territory of Hawaii.
The United States government did not see any of these warning as a threat to us. Many did not see it in the Japanese war plan to come all this way and attack Pearl Harbor. People did not see that this attack was actually possible for the Japanese to do to the United States at Pearl Harbor. Government officials saw Japans next possible move to be Thailand not Pearl Harbor. During this time president Roosevelt was trying to work with Japan on keeping the peace between the two countries.
President Roosevelt recognized these reports as general warning to the people not threats against the nation. The troops of Japan had struck the Philippines, Guam, Malaya, Thailand, Midway Island, and Wake Island. These attacks came on the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor. These attacks were just the start of Japans aggression on their way toward the island of Hawaii. Japanese forces had much preparation for this
Even though Yamamoto is credited with planning and strategy of the attack on Pearl Harbor he was not the first to have this idea. Yamamoto included Pearl Harbor in Japans war plan during World War II in December of 1940. The attack was very risky to attempt and even to have a positive outcome for the country of Japan. The idea of the attack on Pearl Harbor was first presented by Yamamoto March or April of 1940. Yamamoto had not yet seen his advantages and disadvantages he had before putting this attack on the table for the Japanese army. He did not have the technical power to mount this attack yet. With many people against this attack against the United States it was still put into action. Yamamoto ordered Onishi to study this proposal but to be discreet about it. Onishi was selected by Yamamoto to be the developer of this attack. Onishi was the chief of the 11th air fleet and was a tactical expert and planner.
Commander Genda Minoru was brought into the planning of this attack by Onishi. Genda became the driving force to actually turn this plan into a reality. For this attack to have a positive outcome secrecy was the main goal. Secrecy would help maintain the goal of this attack to the men who devised the plan. This attack was planned, studied, and devised long before it was ever put into action in the war plans of Japanese