For this assignment I have created a quick five (5) minute introductory video on why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This is a basic introduction to the topic: We discuss the basic geographic relationship of Japan to the US by viewing a Pacific Rim map of East Asia.
Japan's primary goal was to fight a land war in Asia against the Soviets, who had defeated them during the Sino-Russian Naval Wars. Japan would first need to push out the colonial powers (England, France, and the Dutch) and build the Greater East Asian Co Prosperity Sphere - led by Japan of course. Japan needed the resource rich East Indies (modern day Malaysia and Indonesia) as well as French Indo-China (Vietnam) and then the rest of the South China Sea nations to Include the Philippines. Japan calculated that the only credible threat to their plan was the American Navy and therefore the Japanese high Command decided that destroying the US Navy, against the consul of Admiral Yamamoto who was chosen to plan and execute the attack, was the first order of business. Second they would secure the Malacca Strait and the Indies: As one third of the world's trade sails that strait every day Japan reasoned that the capitalist nations, to include the injured United States, would sue for peace rather than allow their industries to degrade. After securing the Indies Japan would work up the coast of the South China sea and take control of the rubber producing nations and resource righ French East Indies and then mainland China itself: Lastly, Japan would further bolster its 1.4 million man strong Kwantung Army, stationed in Manchuria, and push the Russian Soviets (who were otherwise occupied with the German Armies early in the war) out of Asia.
The US had war gamed an aggressive Japanese act against the Pacific colonial powers and potentially the US in the 1920's (Plan Orange) but Japanese ingenuity and decisiveness with the attack went far beyond anything the US was prepared for. Unfortunately for the Japanese the US Carrier Fleet was on maneuvers at the time. Japan believed that the US would not risk redeploying any of its Atlantic Fleet away from the needs of her long time ally in the Northern Atlantic (England) to fight the Japanese in the Pacific: Japan was wrong and the "sleeping giant woke" (from Tora, Tora, Tora).
