The Japanese made clear assertions about their reasons for the Pearl Harbor attacks, but failed to prepare for the destruction that would result. Their initial attack on the U.S. was a preemptive measure to war. The Japanese government had many plans to take control of the Philippines and reap the abundance of oil present in the Southeast Asian country. Prior to the attack, both Japan and the U.S. had been fighting for control of the Pacific. The Japanese predicted that a surprise attack would deplete the U.S. of its military presence in the region, and serve Japan's greater economic and imperial interests. Yamamoto’s unconventional plan would couple airstrikes with the movement of a combined fleet in Southeast Asian cities. If done correctly, the attack would catch the American fleet off guard, granting Japan enough time to take over the territory. …show more content…
Attacking the American fleet in the Pacific could well be taken as a declaration of war. Yamamoto himself had his doubts about the solidity of this plan. Admittedly, the admiral acknowledged the attack as an act of desperation. As Alvin D. Coox states in the article Pearl Harbor Raid Revisited, the sanctions that President Roosevelt implemented on oil in 1941, were sure to bankrupt the Japanese homeland and restrict its military endeavors. Yamamoto lacked “confidence”(Coox 213) in his navy’s strength, instead heavily relying on the element of surprise and the assumption that the fleet would not be attacked from the front if they positioned themselves correctly. Bombing the U.S. out of the region, with a comparably weaker navy, was not only gamble, but an economic last