When Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, were they initiating Americans to enter the war or discourage them from it?
Neither. If you check history you will see that the US was already (unofficially) fighting against the Japanese in Southern China. The US had US Army pilots (obstentially as “Volunteers”) flying fighter-planes for the Nationalist Chinese Government — the Flying Tigers of Major (later Brig. General) Chennault fame. The US Lt. General (Later General) (Vinegar) Joe Stillwell was commanding the Chinese Forces (both Nationalist and Communist) in Southern China although he was often stalled by Chiang Kai Shek, the Nationalist Chinese leader who hated Stillwell. The US was already imposing an embargo on trade to Japan of Oil, steel and rubber which was hurting the expansionist policies of the military government of Japan. The attack on Pearl Harbour was for two reasons — a) To destroy the entire Pacific Fleet so that the US could not wage a war on Japan in the future. b) To stop the US ships being used to impose the embargo.
