Why Did Pearl Harbor Happen — Korean vs Japanese Historical Perspective

At the March 2026 US-Japan summit, President Trump made a joke referencing Pearl Harbor to Prime Minister Ishiba. The fact that an 80-year-old event is still invoked as a symbol of US-Japan relations shows the weight this event carries.

On December 7, 1941 (local time), the Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This event determined America's entry into World War II.

Background

In the late 1930s, Japan was fighting the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937~) and became increasingly dependent on Southeast Asian resources (oil, rubber, tin). The US progressively strengthened economic sanctions to contain Japanese expansion.

1940: US bans aviation fuel and scrap metal exports
July 1941: Japan advances into southern French Indochina → US, Britain, Netherlands freeze Japanese assets + full oil embargo
November 1941: US-Japan negotiations collapse (Hull Note presented)

Japan had only about 2 years of oil reserves, and continued embargo meant naval operational capability would be lost.

Perspectives by Country

American Perspective

The official US position is "cowardly surprise attack." "Remember Pearl Harbor" became a war slogan. However, the "FDR foreknowledge theory" has long been raised within the US.

• The US was decrypting Japanese diplomatic codes (MAGIC) and knew war was imminent

• In 1941, over 80% of US public opinion opposed entering the war. For FDR, who wanted to intervene in Europe, Japan's first strike provided the "justification" to reverse public opinion

• McCollum Memo (1940): Naval intelligence officer Arthur McCollum wrote an "8-step strategy to provoke Japan into attacking first," which FDR allegedly implemented

• Robert Stinnett's Day of Deceit (2000) published this memo and related documents, sparking major academic controversy

Mainstream rebuttal: MAGIC revealed war was imminent but not that Pearl Harbor was the target. The McCollum Memo was a junior officer's proposal with no evidence FDR adopted it. However, it's hard to deny that the US economically cornered Japan.

Korean Perspective

Pearl Harbor is interpreted as reckless expansion of Japanese imperialism. Korea was annexed (1910), then Japan invaded Manchuria (1931), China (1937), and expanded to the Pacific. Pearl Harbor sits on the continuum of colonial rule — the prolonged war intensified forced labor, comfort women, and student soldier conscription.

Chinese Perspective

For China, Pearl Harbor was the "turning point of the War of Resistance." After fighting Japan alone since 1937, America's entry was decisive. China views the ABCD encirclement as a legitimate international response to Japan's invasion, triggered by the Nanjing Massacre, civilian bombings, and other war crimes.

Japanese Conservative Self-Defense Theory — Detailed

What Is the ABCD Encirclement?

America, Britain, China, Dutch economically encircled Japan. The conservative argument claims this was "deliberate strangulation" forcing Japan to choose war for survival.

Hull Note = Ultimatum?

The Hull Note (November 26, 1941) demanded: withdrawal of all Japanese forces from China and Indochina, denial of Manchukuo, effective abandonment of the Tripartite Pact. Conservatives argue accepting this meant reverting to pre-1931 status, making 10 years of war meaningless — an ultimatum no nation could accept.

Counterarguments

Reversed causation: The ABCD response was triggered by Japan's aggression. "We were encircled so we had to fight" is like a burglar saying "you locked the door so I had to break the window."

Chain of aggression: Korea annexation (1910) → Manchuria (1931) → China (1937) → Southern advance (1941) → Pearl Harbor. Japan could have stopped at any point.

Hull Note nature: It was a negotiation basis, not an ultimatum. Japan's military had already decided on war by early November; the Hull Note merely provided justification.