The Story

							The Story

- Japan is an island country, suffered in depression, needed to expand
- Militarists take over, decide to expand to get more natural resources
- They invade Manchuria.
- Japan needs supplies in order to expand further
-Japan began taking advantage of crisis in Europe, by extending power in Pacific
- Drove into Indochina – seized Vietnam, a colony of France
- Upsets United States, because the US has economic/political ties in Asia
- US knew Japan would go to East Indies (Thailand), broke Japanese code
        - US threatened Japan
        - Japan did not listen
        - US created a trade embargo (limited Japan’s ability to buy oil, iron ore)

- Japan has 2 options
         - Choice:
         1. Re-establish relations with US to restore flow of supplies
         2. Find supplies elsewhere (seize British/Dutch possessions in Pacific)
- At first, Japan attempts to compromise, but FDR and his secretary of state (Hull)
basically will only compromise IF Japan guarantees the respect of China’s territory
- Japanese prime minister Konoye unable to do this, militarists refuse
- Konoye was forced out of office, replaced with General Hideki Tojo (leader of the War
Party)
- Japan was desperate for oil, nothing else but seizing the
- Decoded Japanese message that attack by Japanese would be matter of days by 11/29
- U.S. did not know where attack would take place
- Convinced Japan would strike Britain/Dutch possessions in South Pacific before US
- One fleet began sailing east from Kurile Islands on Nov. 25
- U.S. more focused on Japanese fleet sailing southward through China Sea
- Total miscalculation of Japanese attack