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Japanese strategy in World War 2

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 3:57 pm
by navalhforums7365
Was there any part of the Japanese high command that proposed an alternative to attacking America or was there unity of thought that America had to be attacked. Accepting that war with America was inevitable.

Such as occupying the European controlled territories of South East Asia and then waiting for America to respond.

Re: Japanese strategy in World War 2

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:20 pm
by RF
Straight answer is no.

The Japanese Army made the decisions from October 1941 onwards with Tojo as Prime Minister. The IJN was obliged to fall in with the IJA plans because Emporer Hirohito didn't block them.
Given that the situation was that Japan was suffering trade embargoes of oil and raw materials, the Japanese opted to seize the British and Dutch colonies in East Asia to secure an alternative supply. The problem was the US reaction, which the Japanese knew would be hostile - so they planned to knock out the US opposition and use the Tripartite Pact to get Germany and Italy to declare war on the USA and create a two ocean war for the USA.

Re: Japanese strategy in World War 2

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:47 pm
by OpanaPointer
navalhforums7365 wrote:Was there any part of the Japanese high command that proposed an alternative to attacking America or was there unity of thought that America had to be attacked. Accepting that war with America was inevitable.

Such as occupying the European controlled territories of South East Asia and then waiting for America to respond.
They couldn't leave the Philippines alone, the US forces there could cut the supply lines from NEI to Japan. If they hadn't attack the US colony we would have had time to build up our forces and make neutralizing the threat much harder.