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Question: Why did Japan choose to attack the US in World War II !?
I can see no logic behind their decision!. Even if the US was passively helping their enemies, that's still a lot better than having to fight it outright!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
This is a great question and addresses a very misunderstood set of circumstances!.

Japan endured a lot of very slanted International treaties beginning as early as the 1850s!.

The Japanese govt was forced to allow Western powers into their country with an established area called Yokohama where Westerners were allowed to live and do business!. This is very important because one of Japan's main philosophies was to avoid any outsiders into their country!. The isolation dates back thousands of years but in 1856, Matthew Perry, on behalf of the United States gave the Japanese little choice but to open it borders!.

Japan made a great effort to Westernize, which was a great sacrifice to their long and proud history!. By the 1920s, Japan began to rebel against Westernization!. They are and remain today to be a proud people and felt their honor was being snubbed and abused!. Many Japanese began to believe that Americans and all Westerners had racial views against them as non-whites!. This is evident in their WWII war propaganda spread throughout Asia to gain support and allies of other Asian nations against Western powers, for example in Indonesia and Korea!.

China played a major role in Japan's decision to go to war!. China had for decades been carved up by Western powers with colonial holdings controlling ports and natural resources!. Japan assumed that after their rapid rise to a major industrial status, they too were to participate in the colonization of China!. At this point, the relationship of Japan to the West went very sour, their colonization efforts were not well received by the West!. It was at this time, in the late 1920s (post WWI) through the 1930s that Japan began to look to Germany as a role model and like Germany, felt they had been treated unfairly in the post WWI reconstruction!.

The oil embargo, which Roosevelt wasn't responsible for, was the last crushing blow!. From various sources, Japan, who had become a world player in industrial might, decided to go to war with the US!. They believed the Americans were soft and that their 18 month reserve of steel and oil would suffice to attack and win a war against the US!.

This is real general, there are so many interesting elements in this phase of Japan's history!. There are a lot of well written books about WWII from the Japanese view point!. One point that I have left out is the very harsh treatment of the Chinese at the hands of the Japanese!. What I have described above occurred before what can be best described a genocide in the decade leading up to WWII!. I
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America was imposing sanctions on Japan because it invading China and breaking treaties e!.g!. the washington naval treaty!. In Aug 1941 the USA cut off 80% of Japans oil!.

Japanese naval history believed wars are won by Naval forces in decisive victories!. They studied the british navy and saw Trafalgar as an example!. Their victory over the Russians in 1905 was due to a decisive naval battle too!.

Pearl Harbor was meant to wipe out the US navy in the pacific!. They didn't send any troops to occupy hawaii!.

So here are two elements:

oil being cut off by the US
history of successful decisive naval battles!.

I'm sure people will add other reasons!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

When France capitulated in June 1940, Japan moved into northern French Indochina!. And though the United States had no interest there, we imposed an embargo on steel and scrap metal!. After Hitler invaded Russia in June 1941, Japan moved into southern Indochina!. FDR ordered all Japanese assets frozen!.

But FDR did not want to cut off oil!. As he told his Cabinet on July 18, an embargo meant war, for that would force oil-starved Japan to seize the oil fields of the Dutch East Indies!. But a State Department lawyer named Dean Acheson drew up the sanctions in such a way as to block any Japanese purchases of U!.S!. oil!. By the time FDR found out, in September, he could not back down!.

Tokyo was now split between a War Party and a Peace Party, with the latter in power!. Prime Minister Konoye called in Ambassador Joseph Grew and secretly offered to meet FDR in Juneau or anywhere in the Pacific!. According to Grew, Konoye was willing to give up Indochina and China, except a buffer region in the north to protect her from Stalin, in return for the U!.S!. brokering a peace with China and opening up the oil pipeline!. Konoye told Grew that Emperor Hirohito knew of his initiative and was ready to give the order for Japan's retreat!.

Fearful of a "second Munich," America spurned the offer!. Konoye fell from power and was replaced by Hideki Tojo!. Still, war was not inevitable!. U!.S!. diplomats prepared to offer Japan a "modus vivendi!." If Japan withdrew from southern Indochina, the United States would partially lift the oil embargo!. But Chiang Kai-shek became "hysterical," and his American adviser, one Owen Lattimore, intervened to abort the proposal!.

Facing a choice between death of the empire or fighting for its life, Japan decided to seize the oil fields of the Indies!. And the only force capable of interfering was the U!.S!. fleet that FDR had conveniently moved from San Diego out to Honolulu!.

And so Japan attacked!.
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Japan needed the resources of the Pacific!. They couldn't get them because the U!.S!. had a large military presence there!. So, take out the U!.S!. military and gain all of the natural resources of the Pacific!.
This is a simplistic answer to a complex question!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

a WAR started over oil!? Remind you of anything!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

ummm they hated the US Www@QuestionHome@Com