What led to the battle of the coral sea?

Answer 1

The Battle of the Coral Sea came shortly after the beginning of the war in the Pacific. The Japanese military was concerned that the United States would use Australia as a giant naval and airforce base from which to conduct the war against the Japanese in the southern Pacific and threaten the Japanese oil sources in the nearby Dutch East Indies. The Japanese strategy was to isolate Australia by occupying New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Samoa and Fiji. The Japanese Navy was dispatched to do the job. There they met the United States Navy -- with their big carriers. The result was the Battle of the Coral Sea. vcs

Answer 2

IJN's drive south towards Australia (they already bombed Darwin Australia).