just before 8 a.m. on december 7, 1941, hundreds of japanese fighter planes attacked the american naval base at pearl harbor near honolulu, hawaii. the barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: the japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 american naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. more than 2,000 americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. the day after the assault, president franklin d. roosevelt asked congress to declare war on japan; congress approved his declaration with just one dissenting vote. three days later, japanese allies germany and italy also declared war on the united states, and again congress reciprocated. more than two years into the conflict, america had finally joined world war ii.the attack on pearl harbor was a surprise, but japan and the united states had been edging toward war for decades. the united states was particularly unhappy with japan's increasingly belligerent attitude toward china. the japanese government believed that the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbor's territory and take over its import market; to this end, japan had declared war on china in 1937. american officials responded to this aggression with a battery of economic sanctions and trade embargoes. they reasoned that without access to money and goods, and especially essential supplies like oil, japan would have to rein in its expansionism. instead, the sanctions made the japanese more determined to stand their ground. during months of negotiations between tokyo and washington, d.c., neither side would budge. it seemed that war was inevitable.
