Background information

Japanese-American relations before Pearl Harbor

To have a better view of the attack on Pearl Harbor and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech, it would be useful to look at the events that led to this event. As the United States had expanded its territory in the Pacific Ocean and towards Asia, tension emerged between the US and the Empire of Japan. Nevertheless, the two nations maintained diplomatic relations and trading partnerships. 

The late 1930s mark a shift in the attitude of the US and its Western allies towards the Empire of Japan. This change was caused by several Japanese attacks, including one on a US Navy boat and a massacre led by the Japanese against the capital of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. President Roosevelt took several measures agai...