What was the main reason that japan attacked the US?

Answer 1

first answer:

OIL! The common reason for many wars. The US had placed an oil embargo on Japan because they had invaded Manchuria (and elsewhere if I remember right) to get their oil. The US wanted them to leave China and continue to buy oil from them and other nations. The Japanese wanted not only oil they wanted other Natural Resources and ores their country did not have. They decided they would get oil from the Dutch East Indies. They did not want the USN Fleet to go after them when they did. So they chose to bomb the USN fleet that was in the harbor in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This incited the Congress to declare war on Japan.

my answer:

No, the real reason for Japan's attack (on the US, the British Empire & the Dutch) was the Japanese Army's obsession with their on-going brutal conquest of China. The United States had been taking diplomatic and economic steps against Japan for several years to convince (or force) the Japanese to end their war of conquest in Asia. The Japanese Army actually controlled the Japanese Government since the early 1930's. The Japanese Army refused to end its war of conquest & extreme brutality in China.

Beyond China, the Japanese Army had plans to take advantage of the weakness of the British, French, Dutch & Soviet Union in Asia because of Hitler's conquests in Europe. The Japanese wanted to be free of American interference, and create a vast Asian empire that would have eventually included China, eastern Siberia, Mongolia, Korea, Formosa, Indo-China, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, & New Guinea; and possibly India.

Answer 2

well there were a few reasons. Germany told them they would aid Japan's capitalism and they wanted to be able to ship there materials and other war related objects to Germany but with Russia to there west they thought it would be easiest to go west and attack us. when they did that it got us more involved than just shipping Britain (our ally) planes and other war vehicles.

Answer 3

there are many, but it appears you only want one, so I'll give you the most important reason.

Since the end of the first world war, Japan had been slowly but steadily increasing its military strength, and began to invade china. this was not a whole scale invasion as such, more an amassing of territory. At this time, Japan imported nearly all of its oil from the US. /The US weren't actively against the Japanese, but when reports emerged of the Japanese hideous treatment of Chinese civvilians, they stopped supplying Japan with oil. Japan begged to be allowed oil, and promised to remove from China. The US allowed them the oil back, but Japan only pushed deeper into China. The US immediately removed all of its oil.

Obviously, this angered Japan, and so they attacked Pearl Harbour with the aim of a swift defeat of the US.

Answer 4

Because they wanted to prevent the USA coming to the aid of other countries in the Pacific area that Japan was intending to conquer, by destroying its Pacific fleet.

As it happened, many ships of the fleet stationed in Pearl Harbour - including most of the more modern ships and all of the aircraft carriers - were out at sea when the attack happened, so in that sense the attack already was a failure. Moreover the attack did not as intended keep the USA out of Japan's war plans, but instead woke up an until then largely anti-war population and unleashed the USA's manpower an military-industrial resources on Japan.

Answer 5

Because the Americans cut off their imports of oil and steel and Japan wanted to conquer the south Pacific