Japan's Attack on Pearl Harbor In December 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. It was the consequence of a series of events that brought tension between Japan and America to a head. Japan was a country growing in power and stature and America soon realized that this growth could prove to be a threat to them. America aimed to stop Japan's rise because they realized that if the situation was left to develop much longer, the situation might be out of their control. It can be argued, however, that by not seriously addressing this threat until the 1940s, America left things too late and found itself faced with an adversary that would not back down. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Japan was a country of contradictions. His growth in industry was an important factor in influencing his growth in power; while at the same time their structure was very traditional politics. Japanese Emperor Hirohito was at the very center of Japanese government. The emperor made Japan very militaristic and the army had a very strong influence on Japan. Japan's industrial growth had increased dramatically over the previous 50 years and was still continuing to grow. For this growth to take place, however, they relied heavily on imports from other countries to feed their growing population. One of those countries they relied on was America. They also relied heavily on America for immigration, due to the rapid growth of the Japanese population. It still wanted to expand further and, at the time, the best option was to increase its trade ties abroad. Continuing to supply raw materials, America gradually became more aware of Japan's rising... middle of paper... d about its own problems and failed to prevent Japan from invading Manchuria. The main short-term cause of the attack on Pearl Harbor was America's decision to reject Japan's negotiations and peace talks on lifting the oil embargo. This angered the Japanese government, causing dangerous tension between the two countries as Japan was in a difficult situation and was now willing to attack the Americans. Rejection of the proposals in September 1941 led Japan to confirm the war decision on 26 November. Ultimately Japan was pushed into war by the fact that the army was in control of the country. The Army thought that an attack on Pearl Harbor would prove vital if they wanted to become as powerful as America and have a fighting chance in the war that had long seemed inevitable..