was it autism? how the fuck they think they could win against

>>3387985
Because they thought America didn't have the stomach for a long war. They were wrong, but the plan was never to match America on the battlefield, it was just to be too tough and expensive and bloody to easily dislodge.

>even in battles where they were in complete defensive advantage
I really hate this meme. In WW2, while exceptions existed, the defender almost always took more casualties than the attacker when attacks succeeded in securing their objective. The amount of extra losses the attackers took first breaching lines of defense was more than compensated by overrunning all those second echelon guys you inevitably picked up.

>>3387985
They didn't think America cared much about its Pacific possessions and that if they could have their nose bloodied they'd quickly lose interest in a war in Asia. Keep in mind they'd taken territories for several European powers already with little to no repercussions, and they considered themselves a formidable military that had won modern wars, even against major Western powers like Russia.

>>3387985
>how the fuck they think they could win against USA in an attrition warfare with all odds stacked against them?
They didn't. You're assuming the Japanese actually had a plan.

Imperial Japan had this horrendous mentality where they felt the entire world was out to get them, they were entitled to (what they believed was) the same kind of Imperialism that the West was taking part in, and that no matter the odds, they were invincible.

The US forcing open their ports in the 1800s kicked this all off, and their feeling of invincibility started when they won the first Sino-Japanese War. However, the West intervened, forcing them to cede certain territories seized, only for Japan to turn around and win yet another "unwinnable" war against Russia to retake that lost land. They tried to join the West in WW1, but were disappointed when they weren't given the same treatment as the rest of the Western powers at the victor's table. Then you had the Washington Naval Treaty - although it in reality was a godsend for Japan, to the public it seemed like the West keeping them down once more.

Meanwhile, you had the military literally doing whatever it wanted without direction from the central government. The Kwantung Army assassinated the leader of and then invaded and occupied Manchuria all on its own and later was responsible for literally thousands of border incidents, culminating in the Nomonhan Incident with the Soviets in 1939. A similar series of escalating incidents also took place on the Chinese border, sparking war with China in 1937. And, after the Soviets thoroughly slapped their shit and the US was threatening sanctions, the IJA decided it was the perfect time to go invade French Indochina out of nowhere.

>cont

>>3388145
>the defender almost always took more casualties than the attacker
This is the most stupid shit I've ever heard.

>>3387985
The goal was to destroy Americas pacific fleet at pearl harbor, rendering them completely useless on the water and giving the japs free reign to take over the entire pacific including hawaii, indonesia, and possibly australia

>>3388208
So effectively you had a belligerent, uncontrollable army pulling around a nation that's convinced that the world is out to get them, they're entitled to all their conquests, and that they can't possibly lose in the long run. Couple that with the horrendously toxic distorted form of Bushido that permeated Japanese society at the time, and Japan in late 1941 found itself in a position where they'd effectively blundered themselves into a war.

So at that point, the decision making process was less
>How are we going to win a war with the US if it comes to that
and more
>A war is going to happen and we're going to win no matter what

Some leaders in the IJN high command were a bit more cautious - Yamomoto, being the most famous - and many studies (that were quickly dismissed) by Japanese universities noted that there was no realistic chance of victory. But for the most part, the decision to go to war was made before they had determined if it was winnable - after all, Japan had never lost a war, why would they start now?

So in the end, the war plan that came about was more of a reaction to the situation Japan found itself in. Yamomoto and others tried to make the best of a shitty situation, but with the alternative to war being backing down and withdrawing from many of their conquests, Japan felt it had no other choice.

>>3388160
>They didn't think America cared much about its Pacific possessions and that if they could have their nose bloodied they'd quickly lose interest in a war in Asia.

That's not consistent with the fact they refused to back down out of China because they were racing the US for the control of the nation.
Being fully aware of the fact runs contrary with any notion of them believing the US would simply not mind.

They saved the world from a US controlled China (as the Japanese invasion spurred the Chinese to get their shit together, a part of which was gunning down the people setting up the US invasion) by becoming the nation that US ended up controlling instead.


No, they knew full well they were in a check. If they complied to US demands, their empire would eat it in due time. If they didn't, they had to face the US. The war was very much fought with the notion of trying their best to cause enough damage that US throws up a peace treaty that doesn't compromise their mainland (to which China is of utmost importance even if you forget about their area of homeland and defense strategy).

>>3388225
even if they sink the carriers, americans would just build new ones
the battleships that were hit in Pearl Harbor were back in action in 1944
Also, I doubt they could take Hawaii and Australia with the shit logistics that they had

>>3388253
>Also, I doubt they could take Hawaii and Australia with the shit logistics that they had

Hawaii had a primarily Japanese population at the time (Japanese formed 38% of the total population and were the de-facto majority over there). Even so, I'm pretty sure anon is simply pulling it out of his ass.

Is there a time when the Japanese acually fought well against an enemy that wasn't just their own?

>>3388253
>even if they sink the carriers, americans would just build new ones

And that takes a helluva time, enough time to swoop up Asia and dig in,

>>3387985
They underestimated America's industrial capability.

>>3388239
You people talk like America was actually anything before WWII but merchants with supply. The only way you were able to beat a nation which had industrialized in the last 60 years was with superior technology. You got your shit handed to you until you figured out their means of communication.

Why couldn't they just stay on their island?

>>3388306
muh singapore

>>3388406
Japan wanted to play big boy and have an empire too. Funny the German sided with them DURING WWII after Japan took their possessions in the Pacific during WWI

>>3388221
It's True though.
Defenders only have an advantage in pre-artillery battles and vidéo games, or against a retarded opponent.
You have defences when you defend; your adversary knows exactly where you are, what supplies you have, how much men you have, where you are the weakest, and likely has both incoming supplies and manpower and knowledge of where your help will be coming from.

>>3388334
America had the oil.
Japan can't fly and boat around without it. We OPEC-style cut them off and other reasons>>3388239 pointed out pushed their hand to attack. They didn't expect us to go to full-on war mode, especially over some territory a million miles away (Hawaii).

>>3388306
Mongol invasions
Invasion of Korea under Hideyoshi
War against Russia