Why did japan attack pearl harbor?

The Japanese attack had several major aims. First, it intended to destroy important American fleet units, thereby preventing the Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya and to enable Japan to conquer Southeast Asia without interference. read more

Attack on Pearl Harbor; Part of the Asia and the Pacific Theater of World War II: Photograph of Battleship Row taken from a Japanese plane at the beginning of the attack. The explosion in the center is a torpedo strike on USS West Virginia. read more

Before Japanese bombers appeared over Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, diplomatic tensions, enemy alliances and trade embargoes between Japan and the U.S. had been mounting for years, making war seem all but inevitable. read more

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor because they wanted to controlthe Pacific Ocean.The Japanese purpose was to destroy Pearl Harbor to make the. read more