Pearl Harbor Dbq Analysis

What Caused Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor? The tension between Japan and America had been steadily growing since the end of the first World War, and on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. What reason did Japan have to attack Pearl Harbor? Japan chose to attack Pearl Harbor due to America’s insults, the sudden cutoff of supplies, and their desire to conquer. America’s insults infuriated Japan. In Japan, retreat is seen as an honorless act, and Hideki Tojo, the Prime Minister of Japan, equated America’s desire for Japan to withdraw their troops from China as a desire for Japan to retreat. He even noted that their invasion “has cost us well over 100,000 dead and wounded, the grief of their bereaved families, hardship for four years, and a national expenditure of several billions of yen,” (Doc E). Needless to say, the idea that America would want the Japanese to retreat after such severe cost infuriated them. This incident only helped to add to the growing tension between Japan and America. …show more content…
Quite a few of Japan’s resources were acquired through trade with the United States. However, the U.S. started to cease trade with Japan. In 1939, the United States began “an embargo of aircraft and aircraft parts against Japan,” (Doc C). Later, in 1941, the U.S. froze “all Japanese assets and bank accounts,” and imposed “an embargo on oil shipments to Japan,” (Doc C). Japan needed these assets to continue expanding their empire. The only option left for Japan was to force the United States to give them back. Therefore, the best place to destroy was the naval base placed in Pearl Harbor,