Answer:
True
Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor when they knew they couldn't take on the United States?
Contrary to popular belief, the Japanese decision to strike Pearl Harbor and risk a lengthy war with the US was considerably more deliberate. Japan had been engaged in a war they thought would last only a few months in China for 10 years. Although they had made tremendous progress in China, the battle was depleting their resources. Because there was no source of steel, rationing was implemented, and the ironwork on public buildings was being melted down.
They understood that if they wanted to escape having to abandon their China expedition and losing all they had fought for for the previous 10 years, they needed to seize control of the East Indies' resources.
Japan was aware that any attempt to conquer the Indies would almost certainly result in military conflict with the US because the US was highly hostile to their ambitions in China. Their strategy for moving forward was influenced by their victory in the Russo-Japanese war. Japan scored a significant naval victory in the conflict but refrained from attacking Russia directly. Russia made certain political and territorial concessions to Japan as a result of their defeat, and that was pretty much the end of it. Russia was not damaged in any way.
They planned to achieve a comparable knockout victory against the US and, as a result, receive a free hand in Asia by following the example of the Russo-Japanese conflict. However, they understood they would lose if America chose to fight a long-lasting conflict with them. However, they anticipated that they would have to make compromises, including leaving China, and that their outcomes would be similar to those of Russia. But if they were unable to conquer the Indies, they would have to accomplish that anyhow.
They had not anticipated the US demand for an unconditional surrender, and although they initially thought the battle would merely be about concessions, they suddenly found themselves in a fight for their lives. Nobody could have ever imagined that Japan would be reduced to a burning ruin four years later.
Thank you,
Eddie