Why did emperor hirohito allow the attack on pearl harbor knowing it would pull the US into war?
Although he held no executive power, Hirohito was the supreme spirtual influence in Japan, and if he had said “don’t attack the Americans”,they wouldl not have done it. But the Emperor bowed to his poltical and military leadership as the experts, so the Emperor would generally go along with their recommendations. The belief was that a surpise attack on the American Pacific Fleet would buy time for Japan to complete its conquest of the Pacific and allow them to prepare defenses during the time it would take for the USA to rebuild its fleet, long before any major Allied counterattack could be staged. The Japanese government also believed the USA would make a settlement rather than fight from a position of weakness, as the Japanese perceived our position to be. The reasons that strategy did not work was: 1. They did not account for the American industrial capacity gearing up to replace their losses so quickly. 2. They did not forsee the effect the attack would have on the determination an
