<P> The Empire of Japan entered World War II by launching a surprise offensive which opened with the attack on Pearl Harbor at 7 : 48 a.m. Hawaiian Time ( 18 : 18 GMT ) on December 7th , 1941 . Over the course of seven hours there were coordinated Japanese attacks on the U.S. - held Philippines , Guam and Wake Island and on the British Empire in Malaya , Singapore , and Hong Kong . The strategic goals of the offensive were to cripple the U.S. Pacific fleet , capture oil fields in the Dutch East Indies , and expand the outer reaches of the Japanese Empire to create a formidable defensive perimeter around newly acquired territory . </P>
<P> The Empire of Japan entered World War II by launching a surprise offensive which opened with the attack on Pearl Harbor at 7 : 48 a.m. Hawaiian Time ( 18 : 18 GMT ) on December 7th , 1941 . Over the course of seven hours there were coordinated Japanese attacks on the U.S. - held Philippines , Guam and Wake Island and on the British Empire in Malaya , Singapore , and Hong Kong . The strategic goals of the offensive were to cripple the U.S. Pacific fleet , capture oil fields in the Dutch East Indies , and expand the outer reaches of the Japanese Empire to create a formidable defensive perimeter around newly acquired territory . </P>
what were the goals of japan during ww2
what were the goals of japan during ww2
to cripple the U.S. Pacific fleet , capture oil fields in the Dutch East Indies , and expand the outer reaches of the Japanese Empire to create a formidable defensive perimeter around newly acquired territory
to cripple the U.S. Pacific fleet , capture oil fields in the Dutch East Indies , and expand the outer reaches of the Japanese Empire to create a formidable defensive perimeter around newly acquired territory