Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor

On December 7th, 1941, Japan attacked the United States at the naval base on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This horrible attack forced the U.S. to join WWII. President Roosevelt called it “a date which will live in infamy”. Prior to WWII, Japan attacked China in the Second Sino-Japanese War. They wanted oil and other resources in Southeast Asia. Japan joined forces with Germany and Italy and became allies. Japan was afraid the U.S. would try to stop them from taking Southeast Asia, so they decided to attack Pearl Harbor, which was a large station for the military. They believed that a surprise attack would destroy the U.S. Navy and make it easier to invade Southeast Asia. The bombing began on Sunday December 7th, 1941 at 7:55 a.m. It caught the