As part of the fruits of its victory over Spain in the Spanish-American War of 1898, the United States acquired the seven thousand islands of the Philippine archipelago in the western Pacific. Japan viewed this development with hostility. The United States possessed a powerful navy in 1898, and military planners in Japan realised that American occupation of the Philippines could hinder Japan's plans for aggressive territorial expansion in East Asia. To meet this potential challenge, Japan's naval planners began to prepare for the possibility of armed conflict between the two countries. For their part, American naval and military planners recognised the risk to the Philippines from Japan's expansionist foreign policy and they also began planning for possible armed conflict with Japan.

INDEX TO STRATEGIC OVERVIEW - THE ROAD TO PEARL HARBOR

Japanese and American naval planners prepare for war between their countries

The United States neglects its defences between the two World Wars

Hardline militarists take control of Japan's foreign policy in the 1930s

Increasing tensions between the United States and Japan

PEARLINDEX