![]() Yamamoto was not the first person to think of attacking the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack was successful beyond all expectations, making it central to Yamamoto’s reputation as a great admiral, and as it had strategic and political ramifications far beyond what he imagined, it made Yamamoto one of World War II’s most important commanders. It says much for his influence and powers of persuasion that the event even occurred. Yamamoto alone came up with the idea of including the Pearl Harbor attack into Japan’s war plans and, because the attack was so risky, it took great perseverance on his part to get it approved. Image credit: Naval History and Heritage Command. His oversight of the Combined Fleet’s planning process relied more on the traditional Japanese consensual approach, rather than firm leadership and deep involvement in planning details. Yamamoto on his flagship Nagato before the war. ![]() By this time, Yamamoto’s Pearl Harbor attack force was already at sea. In early September, the Emperor declined to overrule the decision to go to war and the final authorization for war was given on December 1. An Imperial Conference on July 2, 1941, confirmed the decision to attack the Western powers. Thus, increasingly, war became the only remaining option. Japan’s approach in 1941, which consisted of negotiations in parallel with preparations for war, never gave the negotiations any realistic chance of success unless the United States agreed to Japan’s conditions.
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