Question

Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor?

a. They hoped to use the island as a base to invade the U.S.
b. The attack was meant to cripple the U.S. fleet.
c. They were responding to the Battle of Midway in 1941.
d. The Japanese were reacting to the U.S. involvement in World War II.

Answer 1

b. The attack was meant to cripple the U.S. fleet.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack was carried out with the intention of neutralizing the U.S. Pacific Fleet and preventing it from interfering with Japanese military operations in the Pacific Ocean. The attack was a response to the U.S. government's decision to impose economic sanctions on Japan in an effort to force the country to withdraw from China and Indochina. The Japanese government viewed the sanctions as an unacceptable threat to its national interests, and decided to launch a preemptive strike against the U.S. to try and remove the threat.