Was the attack on Pearl Harbor a success or a failure?

Answer 1

The attack itself was a strategical failure. The real goal for the Japanese Army was to destroy the carriers that was supposed to be stationed at the Harbor. Even though they could have taken the subs who was stationed there or the oil tanks (which would, if destroyed, cripple the navy for 2 years.). The Japanese Army thought that this attack would paralyze the Navy and "scare" them, but the Americans reacted with thirst of war. The true meaning of the attack was to immoblize the U.S Navy so they wouldn't interact with the campaign of the Japanese Army where they tried taking over the entire south-easter Asian border.

Hope all of this helped you, tried to write the best I could. :)

There's a National Geographic episode about this attack which covers what I've said and more about the Japanese failure.

AnswerBoth. They won the battle at Pearl Harbor but we won the war. AnswerIt was mixed. The Japanese certainly destroyed a good number of American ships and aircraft, but there were also a number of other ships normally berthed at Pearl Harbor were at sea and escaped destruction. More importantly, however, the Japanese failed to destroy the fuel reserves located throughout the islands which allowed for the rapid rebuilding and deployment of the US Fleet.

Answer 2

As a battle, it was a success for the Japanese. In the long run however, it was a complete failure for the Japanese that cost many innocent people their lives.