5. The Pearl Harbor Plan was His Attempt to Stall the US Navy
As Yamamoto began to further engage in global politics, he believed that he could gain control of war in the Pacific – but would only be able to sustain it for a year, tops. Knowing that the well-supplied and more-populated American military could effectively advance faster than he could prepare, he couldn’t fathom allowing them to overwhelm the Japanese defenses.
While Yamamoto wanted more time to strategize, he was forced to carry out orders from his higher-ranking officers. Therefore, his decision was to devastate the US Navy’s fleet, orchestrating the Pearl Harbor assault to buy Japan more time to gain control over vital territory in South East Asia, as well as the Dutch East Indies.