[War & Business] The Pearl Harbor Miscalculation

The Essex-class aircraft carrier mass-produced by the United States during World War II (Photo by Wikipedia)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The true objective of the Japanese military during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor was not the destruction of the United States, but rather to initiate negotiations with the U.S. Since 1937, after Japan's invasion of China, the United States had imposed economic sanctions, and Japan believed that if the Pearl Harbor attack succeeded in demonstrating Japan's military power to the Americans, the U.S. would lift the sanctions and enter into a non-aggression pact with Japan.

The basis for this misjudgment was the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. At that time, Japan had no intention of fighting the Russian mainland; instead, it aimed to engage in localized battles with Russian forces stationed in Korea and Manchuria, gain the upper hand, and then negotiate for control over the Korean Peninsula. In 1905, Russia was unable to continue the war due to food shortages and popular uprisings, and with U.S. mediation, negotiations took place after the localized conflict ended as Japan desired.

The Japanese military believed that the Pearl Harbor attack would similarly lead to negotiations after a localized conflict. To this end, they had even requested the Soviet Union to mediate negotiations with the U.S. following the attack. At the time, the United States was suffering from severe economic difficulties due to the Great Depression, had declared neutrality in World War II raging in Europe, and anti-war movements were widespread. The Japanese military expected that attacking Pearl Harbor would intensify anti-war sentiment in the U.S., prompting the American government to come to the negotiating table more quickly.

However, this expectation by the Japanese military was completely off the mark and is recorded as one of the greatest strategic miscalculations in history. The Pearl Harbor attack completely silenced anti-war sentiment in the U.S. and directly triggered American entry into World War II and the war against Japan. In retaliation for the humiliation suffered at Japan's hands, countless young Americans across the country volunteered for military service, and U.S. pilots risked their lives bombing Tokyo, resulting in a backfire effect.

The reason the Japanese military fell into this massive misjudgment was due to preconceived notions about the United States. At the time, it was widely believed in Japan?from young students to adults?that Americans were weak-minded, indulging only in money, greed, and the excesses of democracy, and were immersed solely in peace. However, Americans enduring the Great Depression were regarded as stronger, more aggressive, and more resilient in overcoming crises than any other generation of Americans.

The misjudgment shown by Imperial Japan in the Pearl Harbor attack left the lesson that the United States is never a country to be broken in spirit and brought to the negotiating table by localized military provocations. Yet, there are still countries that refuse to face this "Pearl Harbor miscalculation" and attempt dangerous gambles.