Revealing the reasons why Japan..

Revealing the Reasons why Japan attacked America

By Kenny Leones

There are two events that will go down as the darkest in the history of the United States, the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center bombing and the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Here we will look at the reasons why Japan attacked America.

Japan was an ally of the United States during World War I. However, when it was pay back time and Japan was claiming its reward for signing the Treaty of Versailles, then US President Woodrow Wilson did not accept to their side of the agreement and refused to give Japan Shantung, which the Japanese claimed bloodily.

During the Washington Naval Conference of 1921, the US pressured Great Britain to put an end to their 20-year alliance with Japan. The British agreed with the United States and ended their two decade alliance with the Japanese. This left the country isolated and prone to Stalin’s rising empire in the north as well as China’s influence in the east and south.

In 1931, Japan conquered Manchuria and used it as a buffer state, similar to what Europeans do in establishing their empire. The Japanese intended to exploit Manchuria, similar to what the British did to India, in order to establish itself as a major world power. In 1937, Japan had control of the coastal cities in Nanking.

During the 1940 French capitulation, Japan made its way northern French Indochina. Despite their lack of interest in the region, the United States implemented a steel and scrap metal embargo. In 1941, when Hitler invaded Russia, Japan occupied Southern Indochina forcing Franklin Roosevelt to freeze Japanese assets.

Roosevelt did not want to implement an oil embargo for this would mean a potential attack by Japan on the oil fields of the Dutch Indies. However, State Department lawyer Dean Acheson had already planned to initiate sanctions that would thwart any attempts of the Japanese to buy US oil. When FDR discovered the plan, he was too late to back down.

In explaining the reasons why did Japan attack America, we will discover that Japanese Prime Minister Konoye informed USA Ambassador Joseph Grew that he was willing to withdraw Japanese forces in Indochina and China, except the north as protection from Stalin, in exchange for brokering a peace agreement with China and opening up the oil fields. Konoye informed Grew that Emperor Hirohito was aware of his plan and was prepared to call for Japan’s retreat.

However, the United States rejected the offer and Hideki Tojo became the new Japanese Prime Minister although war was not yet likely. American diplomats was willing to offer Japan a “modus vivendi.” If Japan withdraws its forces from southern Indochina, the US would implement a partial oil embargo. Chiang Kai Shek interferred and called for the calling off of such proposal.

Torn between survival or death of its empire, Japan chose to seize the oil fields of the Indies and to do it they had to attack the US Fleet which Roosevelt assembled in Honolulu. Until now, many are still asking the same question why did Japan attack America.

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