75 years on from Pearl Harbor
On December 7 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy launched an attack on a US naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Now, 75 years on, University of Sydney experts reflect on the impact of this historical event.
USS Shaw exploding during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941. Image: Wikimedia Commons
December 7, 2016 will mark 75 years since the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack against a United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941. The following day, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt labelled it 'a date which will live in infamy' and the US declared war on Japan, formally entering World War II.
A failure of leadership
,听a Senior Lecturer in the and a researcher in听Japanese media and cultural studies, says the regrettable attack was minor from a military perspective in the context of World War II, but politically significant as it brought the US into the War.
鈥淯S economic historian Robert Higgs points out that the US was aware, having broken the Japanese code, Japan would retaliate against the US in a military way because of sanctions initiated by the US and the freezing of Japanese assets in the US to limit Japanese military expansion in Asia," Dr Yasumoto said.
鈥淚soroku Yamamoto, the planner of the attack on Pearl Harbor, knew well that Japan could not sustain a war against the US."
Dr Yasiumoto adds that personally knowing the devastation was disproportionately听suffered by the Japanese people flowing on from Pearl Harbor, the pre-emptive attack was a mistake.
"A stain remains on the leaderships at the time, in Japan with focus on military expansion and the US with control of trade, that diplomacy did not prevail," Dr Yasumoto said.听
鈥淲e cannot rewrite history but hopefully we can learn from it. I am very pleased that post-World War II Japan has withdrawn from military expansionist policies and is moving forward to regional reconciliation.鈥�
USS Arizona burning during the Pear Harbor attacks. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Australia鈥檚 fear of invasion
,听an historian specialising in Australia from the听, says when the Japanese launched their series of attacks without warning on December 7, Australia鈥檚 prime concern was less with the events at Pearl Harbor, but more with the simultaneous Japanese landings in Malaya.
鈥淎ustralians believed that 'fortress' Singapore (which was in fact merely an undermanned naval base) held the key to Australia鈥檚 defence. They also believed that Japan was a medieval society incapable of threatening Western power," said Professor Waterhouse.
鈥淏ut as the Japanese won victory after victory in Malaya and the Philippines, as well as sinking British Royal Navy warships in the Indian Ocean, Australians became increasingly fearful that their country would also be invaded."
鈥淎s Australians also came to understand the extent of British military weakness in Asia and the Pacific, they turned increasingly to the US as their only hope."
US emerges as world power
, a Professor in the 听specialising in America's relations with the world, says December 7 marked a significant day in US history.
鈥淎s US President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it, the 鈥榙ay of infamy鈥� is the day that brought the US into World War II, a conflict out of which America emerged as a world power," Professor Curran said.
鈥淣ow the world watches and waits to see whether Donald Trump trashes the post-war liberal international order that the US played such a pivotal role in constructing.鈥�