Pearl Harbor Cause And Effect Essay

Eighty-two years ago, on December seventh, Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The events of that day forever changed history and were tragic for the United States and their military. Not only did it change American history forever, Japan also faced significant unforeseen consequences, some of which continue to affect the country to this day. There was tremendous resentment from Japanese civilians leading up to Pearl Harbor and after their surrender. Japan faced bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That along with sanctions that had been imposed by the United States had left the Japanese economy in ruins. Japan was forced to surrender to the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This attack

Britain and the Netherlands also joined the United States in this embargo. Itabashi Koshu, a Japanese middle school student at the time, sums up these sentiments in his reaction to the news soon after the bombings, “The American, British, Chinese, and Dutch; they wouldn’t give us a drop of oil! The Japanese had to take a chance. That was the psychological situation in which we found ourselves. If you bully a person, you should give him room to flee. There is a Japanese proverb that says, ‘A cornered mouse will bite a cat.’ America is evil, Britain is wrong, we thought. We didn’t know why they were encircling us” ("Japanese vs. American Civilian Perspectives"). Japan saw the attack as the only way their nation could obtain resources, avoid colonization and pursue their dreams of industrialization. They saw the U.S. as the bully and the aggressor. The lack of oil also placed significant limitations on their military. Time was of the essence for them to

The United States bombed Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. This bomb, known as "little boy," caused the deaths of eighty thousand people. Another bomb, called "fat man" was dropped at Nagasaki, Japan, three days later, killing an additional forty thousand people. “…The extent of the damage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 made it nearly impossible to provide aid. In Hiroshima, 90 percent of the physicians and nurses were killed or injured; 42 of 45 hospitals were rendered non-functional; and 70 percent of victims had combined injuries including, in most cases, severe burns” (“Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”). The actions carried out by the U.S. were so devastating, it was impossible to deliver medical aid. This resulted in even more lives lost. Then, long term effects of radiation continued to manifest years later with increased risk of cancers, such as leukemia in the five to six years after the bombings. Cancers linked to radiation exposure continue to rise among survivors decades