 The operation , like the earlier attack on Pearl Harbor , sought to eliminate the United States as a strategic power in the Pacific , thereby giving Japan a free hand in establishing its Greater East Asia Co @-@ Prosperity Sphere . The Japanese hoped another demoralizing defeat would force the U.S. to capitulate in the Pacific War and thus ensure Japanese dominance in the Pacific . Luring the American aircraft carriers into a trap and occupying Midway was part of an overall " barrier " strategy to extend Japan 's defensive perimeter , in response to the Doolittle air raid on Tokyo . This operation was also considered preparatory for further attacks against Fiji , Samoa , and Hawaii itself . 
