Causes
In July of 1940, President Roosevelt began to limit the amount of goods Japan could purchase from the United States. By September, the sales of scrap steal and iron had ended. The President thought that Japan would stop expansion if they were threatened with trade restriction. However a year later, the Japanese had full control of French Indochina. As a result, Roosevelt froze the financial assets Japan had in the United States and all oil shipments. When Japan could not get their supplies from the United States, they turned to Dutch East Indies for supplies such as oil. For a few months, Japanese and American leaders tried to avoid war.
In October 1941, General Tojo Hideki, a militant who supported war with the US, became prime minister of Japan. Roosevelt continued negotiations with Japan in hopes of avoiding war. Japanese leaders hoped to damage the United Navy so they would have to rebuild before they could challenge Japan. This would allow Japan time to achieve their goals in Asia. |