Japan's strategy was to completely destroy the US naval fleet in the Pacific, which would provide Japan with a free path to expand.
Explanation:
The attack on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, marked the beginning of the conflict between the United States and Japan during World War II. This attack was an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the United States naval fleet in Hawaii. The complete destruction of the American fleet was critical for Japan to continue its project of conquest and territorial expansion over the Pacific Islands.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was part of the territorial expansion project that Japan had put in place since the 1930s, when it began the invasion of China. Japanese imperialism was a consequence of the growth of nationalism, militarism and indoctrination that occurred in the country after the Meiji Restoration and the reformulation of teaching. This indoctrination held that Japan was a superior nation to others and that it had the right to build a great empire from the conquest of other territories through war.
The attack - led by Chuichu Nagumo - on Pearl Harbor, despite taking Americans by surprise and causing a high number of destruction and deaths was poorly executed. The attack sank some major American ships, but was far from totally destroying the naval fleet in Hawaii.
