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Japanese invasion of Manchuria
On September 19th 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army invaded Manchuria, China and attacked the Chinese troops. -
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Attack on Pearl Harbor
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USS Panay Incident
The USS Panay incident was a Japanese attack on the American gunboat Panay while it was in the chinese waters. Japan and the United States were not at war at the time. The Japanese said that they did not see the American flag on the side of the gunboat. -
The Japanese's Ability
In Febuary 1939, Japan continues it's conquest in China by occupying Hainan Island. This improved Japans ability to interdict maritime trade routes. Because the U.S. was the primary military threat in the Pacific, Japan had prepared war plans to deal with this problem, the U.S. had similar war plans aimed at Japan. The Japanese's plan was to organize one large navy battle against the American Navy. -
Japanese invasion of French Indochina
The Japanese invasion of French Indochina also known as the Vietnam Expedition, the Japanese invaded here to embargo all imports into China, including war supplies purchased from the U.S. -
Isoroku Yamamoto
Towards the beginning of July 1940 Admiral Yamamoto starts communicating with other Japanese officers about a possible attack on Pearl Harbor. The final outcome of these discussions was the attack was possible but would be difficult. -
U.S. emposes trade sanctions
The United States emposes trade sanctions, followed by an embargo, aimed at curbing Japan's military aggression in Asia. These actions were emposed because Roosevelt was trying to put a stop to the Japanese. -
Yamamota releases his outline of the attack
Yamamoto finally delivered a rough outline of his plan to Koshiro Oikawa, the Navy Minister, from whom he also requested to be made Commander in Chief of the air fleet to attack Pearl Harbor. -
Joseph C. Grew
Ambassador to Japan, Joseph C. Grew alerts Washington that he has learned that Japan is planning on bombing Pearl Harbor. No one in Washington believes him. -
Americans begin preparing
As the Japanese were conducting preliminary planning for the attack, Americans were preparing to defend American property. Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet, and Lieutenant General Walter C. Short, Commanding General of the Hawaiian Department prepared Hawaii for attack. -
Yamamoto asks for help
Yamamoto officially requested additional Hawaiian intelligence, which he requested a man named Takeo Yoshikawa. Yoshikawa began gathering intelligence in by taking auto trips around the main islands, and toured Oahu in a small plane, posing as a tourist by the name of Tadashi Morimu. He visited Pearl Harbor frequently, sketching the harbor and location of ships. He began memorizing the number of visible planes, pilots, hangars, barracks, soldiers, and when the most ships would be in the harbor. -
Scientists develop a new machine
During this time period U.S. officers were still trying to find away to monitor Japanese secret messages. Around 1941 in April, American scientists had developed a new machine code-named 'Magic'. This machine had given us a way to read Japanese secret message traffic. -
Americans reading Japanese secret messages.
At around May 1941 Admiral Normura informed his superiors that Americans had now been able to read his traffic messages. No one in Tokyo believe what Adm. Normura was saying about the code being broken, so they left the code untouched. -
Yamamota training his men
Throughout the summer of 1941, Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto trained his men, and his Naval General Staff, his staff and himself were figuring out how to plan this attack. Which way did they have to go? What route did they have to take? How much fuel did they need? What U.S. ships would be at the harbor? -
Japanese Aircrafts preparing
Throughout the summer of July 1941, pilots trained in earnest near Kagoshima City on the Japanese island of Kyūshū. They chose this place because its geography and infrastructure presented most of the same problems bombers would face at Pearl Harbor. They would train by diving into the cities dodging buildings and smokestacks. -
Saburo Kurusu
Tokyo sends over Saburo Kurusu, an experienced dimplomat to assist Ambassador Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura who was looking for a diplomatic solution.
Japan wanted the U.S. to agree with the decision of expanding the South diplomatically, but if the U.S. did not agree, they would go to war. -
The Striking Force
On November 26th 1941, a Japanese task force (The Striking Force) of six aircraft carriers; Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, Hiryū, Shōkaku, and Zuikaku were sent off from northern Japan en route to northwest Hawaii, intending to launch their aircraft to attack Pearl Harbor. -
Pearl Harbor is attacked
At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, attacking the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States into World War II. -
Roosevelt asks to declare war
The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese, President Roosevelt addresses Congress and asks for a declaration of war against Japan. -
Kimmel and Short responsible?
The Roberts Commission appointed by President Roosevelt finds Kimmel and Short in dereliction of duty and solely responsible for the Pearl Harbor disaster. -
Kimmel could have tried to prevent the bombing
A Naval Court of Inquiry finds Kimmel had not been derelict but had acted appropriately given what he knew. The Chief of Naval Operations overrules the court, saying if Kimmel had done aerial reconnaissance he might have discovered the Japanese fleet just 250 miles off Hawaii.
