Understanding Pearl Harbor: Causes and Consequences

The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941, which is still a date we all know lives in infamy. The attack may have been unprovoked by a specific action, but tensions were still high between the United States and Japan pre-December 7th. The brutal and brilliantly drafted attack devastated the American Naval force in the Pacific, yet the consequences of the attack were unforgiving to the Japanese. The attack on Pearl Harbor, influenced by America’s interaction with the Japanese economy, was executed in such a way that exploited the American use of Mahanian ideals, and resulted in the incredible expansion of American Naval forces in the Pacific. Restrictions preventing Japanese hostility were imposed twenty years before the attack

Japanese Zero planes required close proximity to Imperial Carriers, so in order to launch such a large scale attack on Pearl Harbor, he had to be willing to send out 50% of his large carrier force. Japan never had the intention of going to war with America, they simply took the risk of assuming that a single victory would intimidate us and make us quit. For the attack on Pearl Harbor to be ultimately effective in their goal of neutralizing allied sea power in the Pacific, the Philippines were also required to be neutralized. The Japanese had to take the risk of bombing the Philippines during the day as their target acquisition systems were ineffective at night, which meant news of the attack in Pearl Harbor would be passed allowing warning. Word of the attack at Pearl Harbor was received in Manila nine hours before the bombing of the Philippines, as a result of faulty Japanese radio jammers. Nonetheless, the Japanese still succeeded in the bombing of the Philippines due to minimal defenses, thus furthering the plan to neutralize the Pacific. Overall, due to Yamamoto’s bet, Japan was able to eliminate American assets in the Pacific that were believed to be the end of conflict with

It was continually developed and guided by the events of Pearl Harbor. The basis of the plan was to destroy the “blue” targets of Japan, or “to defeat land power by sea power.” After witnessing the use of Imperial Naval forces at Pearl Harbor and expansion into outlying islands, America rewrote its plan to “sever Japan’s trade lifelines, neutralize its outlying stations, overwhelm its fleet in battle, and bombard its homeland.” This plan would help direct forces in the Pacific theatre, with the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo being a perfect example, as land power (government assets) was destroyed by sea power