Why Do You Think Hiro Hito Attacked The States?

Discussion in 'War Against Japan' started by ghvalj, Mar 28, 2005.

  1. ghvalj

    ghvalj Junior Member

    Guys I need help on this...
    Why did Japan attack USA by surprise? Any help I can get will be appreciated.
     
  2. Zzarchov

    Zzarchov Junior Member

    Well, couple reasons, mostly desperation.

    Japan wanted to become a major colonial power like britain or france, so it began expanding into the pacific (German territories from WW1), Korea, China..even Ethiopia. Italy invaded Ethiopia..and cut off Japanese economic interests there(mainly oil)..in exchange for this the faschist forces agreed to stop supplying the Chinese KMT forces (As the Nazi forces had been). China however was claimed economically by many european and american companies. So when the war Heated up (and Japan began destroying western interests, as well as slaughtering chinese civilians) America and Europe started placing blockades on Japan, as well as Embargo's on neccessities like oil and steel. Japan realised its military machine would collapse. And worse, that with it losing its edge in mechanization..China would be more militarily powerful..and seeking revenge. Japan decided it needed to conquer the Dutch east indies and their oil fields. But if it did that American and British fleets would see the pattern and declare war. Japan decided its best bet was a series of daring surprise attacks to try and crush the wests ability to fight back. It worked, but it only delayed the inevitable, Western (and Chinese) forces overwhelmed the Japanese, and formed them from a brutal genocidal slave trading nation, into a modern democracy.
     
  3. ghvalj

    ghvalj Junior Member

    Thanks a lot. (for some reason, that sounds sarcastic, but it's not)
     
  4. ghvalj

    ghvalj Junior Member

    Can anyone add to that plz?
     
  5. harribobs

    harribobs Member

    japan had already started the expansion of her new empire under the 'asia for the asians' lie.

    the attack on pearl harbour was designed to put the american war effort back on it's heels and give the japanese military time to consolidate their gains in the face of the inevitable war with the US

    Isoroku Yamamoto's comment about waking a sleeping giant was the most astute comment, after having informed the japanese government that Japan would lose a war against America back in 1940
     
  6. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    The Japanese desire to build an empire came from their ancient view of "hakkoo isshiu," or "all corners of the world under one roof," with the center of the roof being over Tokyo and the Japanese. The Japanese were a divine race, led by a living God in their Emperor, and destined to rule. They had not lost a war since 1598, and their armed forces had never known defeat. Midway was the first time the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost a battle, and only the third through seventh capital ships it had lost in action (the other two to Russian mines off Port Arthur in 1905, not a battle). Many of the folks in the Imperial Army, trained in bushido spirit and combat tactics, lacked the larger world-view of the Navy and some civilians, and dismissed American and British industrial power as being unequal to Japanese "spirit" and the ferocious loyalty of the "100 million." It's fascinating stuff.
     
  7. zander

    zander Junior Member

    The only real threat for Hirohito was the US.The japanese empire was always dreamed of a pacific empire,with full sea control on their hands.also it was once said that the japanese ''heads'' knew that they wouldn't win the war with the u.s. but they surelly knew they could delay them and made more diffucult the help from u.s to the european battlefield.oufcourse untill their allied hitler finished the dirty job of conquering europe.Hitler was always full aware that the US had the power to crush his army.so if his japanese friend could keep teh US busy,after finishing the war of europe he could attack US with some kind of missiles called ''V-52''that were still in ''test''phase .but he didnt calculated that not only america crushed the japanese in pacific,but also that they didnt stopped sending reinforcments,supplies e.t.c.
    oufcourse in this dirty job ,the japanese had the right to capture whatever us land they wanted(..sweet dreams).

    spoiller:i am not so sure for the name of the missiles <_<
     
  8. nolanbuc

    nolanbuc Senior Member

    To add the excellent answers already given, I'd like to go even farther back to the Soviet-Japanese Border war of 1939. Already occupying Korea and Manchukuo, many of the Japanese Imperial Staff favored a move to conquer Siberia. This strategy was thwarted when the Kwantaung Army was defeated by the USSR and their Mongolian allies.

    In the aftermath of this defeat, the Japanese signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviets and the mood of the Imperial Staff shifted to the camp which favored a southern offensive to capture Southeast Asia, specifically the oil-rich East Indies. This "Sphere of Coprosperity" notion for southeast Asia bumped right up against the interests of the US and the European powers in Asia and the Pacific, inevitably leading to the chain of events mentioned here previously.

    In attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese hoped to temporarily shatter US sea power in the Pacific and force the Americans to sue for peace. They assumed the decadent Americans would have no taste for all-out war once deprived of their Pacific Fleet. They underestimated the US (despite Yamamoto's prescient warnings), and they failed to destroy the Pac Fleet carriers; two early mistakes that helped seal their fate.
     
  9. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    Originally posted by harribobs@Mar 28 2005, 03:28 PM

    Isoroku Yamamoto's comment about waking a sleeping giant was the most astute comment, after having informed the japanese government that Japan would lose a war against America back in 1940
    [post=32635]Quoted post[/post]

    I have read that it is extremely unlikely that he made this comment, but I cannot remember the source.
     
  10. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    Originally posted by zander@Mar 28 2005, 05:37 PM
    The only real threat for Hirohito was the US.[post=32642]Quoted post[/post]

    Not quite, although by the time of Pearl Harbor the US was carrying out a shipbuilding programme to create a "two ocean" navy, unlike the Royal Navy, which was a one ocean navy by 1941 but with fleet facilities to deploy in Asia provided by the base at Singapore.

    Of course, on the day of the attack at Pearl Harbor the Japanese also landed in Malaya and began the conquest which would lead to the fall of Singapore, thus eliminating any immediate British threat.

    If you are checking details here, do not be put off by dates. It looks as though the Malaya landings were a day later than Pearl Harbor. This is ther international date line playing tricks - the landings in Malaya actually began about an hour before Pearl Harbor was bombed.
     
  11. Neil B

    Neil B Member

    Not much I can add to all the above but, you may want to look into US-Japanese mistrust and rivalry during the Allied Intervention in Siberia in 1918. The US push for China to be open to all trade clashed with Japanese plans for domination of China. US moves into the Pacific after the Spanish-American War (occupation of the Phillipines) were seen as a potential threat by the Japanese.
    Since we're on the topic can anyone reccomend a good book on US-Japanese relations say 1890-1941? Now that would be an interesting read.
    Take care,
    Neil
     
  12. harribobs

    harribobs Member

    Originally posted by angie999+Mar 29 2005, 02:43 PM-->(angie999 @ Mar 29 2005, 02:43 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-harribobs@Mar 28 2005, 03:28 PM

    Isoroku Yamamoto's comment about waking a sleeping giant was the most astute comment, after having informed the japanese government that Japan would lose a war against America back in 1940
    [post=32635]Quoted post[/post]

    I have read that it is extremely unlikely that he made this comment, but I cannot remember the source.
    [post=32675]Quoted post[/post]
    [/b]
    My reference for the warning in 1940 is Richard Fuller's excellent book 'Shokan'

    I will check to see if the 'sleeping giant' comment is also there

    chris
     
  13. nolanbuc

    nolanbuc Senior Member

    Originally posted by angie999+Mar 29 2005, 08:43 AM-->(angie999 @ Mar 29 2005, 08:43 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-harribobs@Mar 28 2005, 03:28 PM

    Isoroku Yamamoto's comment about waking a sleeping giant was the most astute comment, after having informed the japanese government that Japan would lose a war against America back in 1940
    [post=32635]Quoted post[/post]

    I have read that it is extremely unlikely that he made this comment, but I cannot remember the source.
    [post=32675]Quoted post[/post]
    [/b]
    Interesting, I have always assumed that since Yamamoto studied in the US and was Naval attache' to the US, he would have had the knowledge of the US capabilities to have made this prediction.
     
  14. harribobs

    harribobs Member

    Interesting, I have always assumed that since Yamamoto studied in the US and was Naval attache' to the US, he would have had the knowledge of the US capabilities to have made this prediction.
    [post=32712]Quoted post[/post]


    quite right, while attache he recommended that the japanese navy adopt the american navigation system, and later planned the attack on Pearl, he was fully aware of their capabilities
     
  15. sappernz

    sappernz Member

    I remember reading about a ship, was it the Emoden, that was captured with documents showing that Britain was willing to abandon the Far East and this emboldened Japan to attack Pearl Harbour in the hope of knocking out Americas Pacific Fleet and being able to conquer the Pacific before America could rebuild .
    Do not forget that while the Pearl Harbour attack was an alleged surprise to America, it failed in its main aim of destroying the carrier fleet stationed there.
    This enabled America to halt the Japs at the Battle of the Coral Sea and inflict a damaging blow on them at The Battle of Midway.
    If the giant was not woken it was certainly pissed off by then.
     
  16. harribobs

    harribobs Member

    Originally posted by sappernz@Mar 31 2005, 04:36 AM

    If the giant was not woken it was certainly pissed off by then.
    [post=32741]Quoted post[/post]

    :lol: :lol:
     
  17. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    :D



    Hi to all from a proud Aussie.

    Tripping over this website is the most amazing suprise I have had in a long time. I have been enthralled by the comments of those daring to question "written" history as to who actually participated in WW11 yet alone made a difference.

    My father was the recipient of a late mortar on the first attack to route the enemy from Tobruk in Jan/41 2/8th 6th div. He received horrific head and body injuries which were treated by a great Australian plastic surgeon (Benjamin Rank) at Al Kantara hospital. The only time you could see the skin graphs on the face was when it was very cold!!

    My ten cents worth to the above question:

    Inconceivably, he was coerced into it by the militarists. The misconception was that Americans were "soft" as public opinion was against participation in the European war. Rendering the U.S. Pacific fleet harmless was a brilliant strategy in theory and we will never know the resultant ability of the U.S.A. to react if the entire West Coast was unprotected and open to attack.

    Even up to Midway, their (Japans) strategy was built around certain Carrier commanders being in the battle. Halsey was in hospital and Ray Spruance (a cruiser skipper) took over command of the carrier fleet. The rest is history - It is generally accepted that Halsy would have fought a different scenario. Added to this, Yorktown was still afloat and active after Coral Sea (Japs thought it sunk) which added to the poor preparedness of the Japanese to wage what they thought to be the final crushing blow.

    Regards
     
  18. jason taylor

    jason taylor Junior Member

    It was a case of put up or shut up. The Japanese couldn't carry on the war in Asia without it. That is the classic Japanese excuse. It of course doesn't account for the fact that they got themselves in the mess in the first place, and we were under no obligation to help them. Their might have been a face-saver we could have given them along that line. But it is hard to think of one. In any case, abandoning China would have been to embarrassing to them and there was no way to continue conquering China without oil. "America committed aggression against Japan by getting tired of helping them commit aggression against others." So goes the line. Apparently they really believed that and many still do.
     
  19. The Japanese desire to build an empire came from their ancient view of "hakkoo isshiu," or "all corners of the world under one roof," with the center of the roof being over Tokyo and the Japanese. The Japanese were a divine race, led by a living God in their Emperor, and destined to rule. They had not lost a war since 1598, and their armed forces had never known defeat. Midway was the first time the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost a battle, and only the third through seventh capital ships it had lost in action (the other two to Russian mines off Port Arthur in 1905, not a battle). Many of the folks in the Imperial Army, trained in bushido spirit and combat tactics, lacked the larger world-view of the Navy and some civilians, and dismissed American and British industrial power as being unequal to Japanese "spirit" and the ferocious loyalty of the "100 million." It's fascinating stuff.
    Bingo! And Kiwiwriter does what few historians or anyone else does for that matter. Cuts to the chase. All the rest of the "reasons" economic, political, military are fine, but the impetus to act on any or all of them comes from the mindset of the Japanese Military cast. When they came to power and through out and assasinated the moderates, the die were cast.
    Course you won't get many points on a history test for this. They want all the "other" explanations.
    "Reality is meaningless. It's the perception of reality that always leads us astray." Merlin
     
  20. Guys I need help on this...
    Why did Japan attack USA by surprise? Any help I can get will be appreciated.
    It's an important and ovrlookd fact, but Japanese attacked the Soviet Union first and were badly defeated in 38 or 39 (forget which). This had an impact on there decision to go south as opposed to north. All the reasons of oil and food and politics were only the fuel for a idealogy of glorious conquest held by the Military Ruling elite. (See Kiwiwriter)
    As to Hirohito attacking the US, the Emperor's of Japan did not wield power in the same manner as western emporer's and Hirohito's role was not comparable to Hitler or Stalin. The fact that Hirohito overuled his Military goverment at the end of the war to surrender (they wanted to fight one last face-saving costly battle on Japan proper) was a radical departure from the Emporer's role.
     

Share This Page