Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor and we're they successful?

Answer 1

Coming from the side of an American and amateur historian, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was as success as well as a failure. The short term goal of destroying the American navy in the pacific was a success. The surprise attack completely caught us off guard. although the government received tips about an attack and also the Japanese submarine that was sunk the day before the attack should have been a heads up, but it wasn't. The raid brought terror to Americans, but they honestly could have done a whole lot worse. Hawaii's position is great. It is within sailing distance of Midway Island, and from there, many other Pacific islands. You have to remember that Hawaii was not yet a state in 1941. It's not like the Japanese sailed to LA and bombed that, they took out a naval power on an island a thousand miles from the majority of the US. It would be like now taking out Guam. The Territory houses many military personnel, but is not a state like California or New York. The Air Raid was a success in 1941, but in 1945, when president Harry S. Truman gave the order to drop two Atomic Bombs on Japan, it was a calling for their own demise. The US had plans to stay out of European Affairs after WW1. We probably would have stayed out of the war if Japan hadn't bombed us. although we were selling old naval destroyers to the British, we were heading for a crash course to the war anyway.