Plight of the Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor - Term Paper Example

Nevertheless, the events of Sunday December 7, 1941 opened up Pearl Harbor to the world. 2 The attack did not happen overnight; it was a culmination of a long-standing feud between the US and Japan. Seemingly, the attack was the only feasible way out of the tension that was developing between America and Japan day after the other. 3 This paper will focus on the ill-fated Japanese attack that occurred at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the U.S justification for the same. It will also highlight the treatment of people of Japanese origin after the attack.

It will be shown that the US did not have any material facts to necessitate internment of people of Japanese origin and this inhuman act clearly violated the principles upon which the US Constitution is build upon. In order to get some idea about the reason for the internment of the American-Japanese, it is important to understand some basic facts about the World War II. Germany and Japan were allies which fought in the same line against England, France, and a group of other nations during the Second World War.

When the war started, America was not directly involved. However, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese carried out an attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, an American territory, although it was not yet declared as a state. Because of this action by Japan, the US automatically was drawn into the war, declaring Japan an enemy. 4 History of the Attack Before the attack, the Imperial Japanese Navy was planning to attack the British and the Dutch armies in South East Asia. Consequently, because the Japanese Navy feared the American army would get involved in protecting the Britain, they decided to attack the American Navy first before proceeding with their mission.

5 Therefore, the Japanese army embarked on intense training, which Rachael Hanel describes as training for war founded on decisive battle philosophy that sought to destroy all battleships involved, or most number at least. 6 The events that preceded the December 7 attack indicated an impending war whose time had come. According to Gail Sakurai, the relationship between Japan and America was tense and each knew war would be the ultimate result. 7 The United States of America had continually opposed Japan’s extension into Asia, and especially into China.

The imminent tensions surfaced in 1940 following Japan’s invasion of Indochina, after which the US retaliated by stopping gasoline and airplane export to Japan. 8 In 1941, President Roosevelt deepened the tensions by moving the Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Hawaii coupled with the subsequent establishment of military exercises in the Philippines, a move seen as an attempt to deter Japan’s interest in the Fareast. America was increasingly becoming Japan’s obstacle in her exploits to control greater parts of Far East.

Finally, Japan decided that an attack was the best defense. As a result, the Japan Navy planned to strike the US Pacific Fleet located at Pearl Harbor. Nevertheless, this was going to be a high stake gamble, which called for serious preparations. 9 The Japanese Navy therefore took their time to prepare for the attack. The preparation portion entailed detailing objectives of the attack, a subject that has drawn deep controversies in the past. 10 Nevertheless, the chief objective was to destroy, as many as possible American warships to cripple the