Episode 136: Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor and Shame-Based Ethical Culture

The sources in this podcast come from a master thesis that challenges common narratives surrounding Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Instead of focusing solely on resource scarcity as the primary motive, the author argues that the decision was largely driven by Japan's shame-based cultural context and the leadership's fear of appearing incompetent. The paper analyzes Japanese war cabinet meetings, military assessments predicting defeat, and anthropological studies of Japanese culture to support this claim. The author highlights the Japanese leadership's awareness of the high risk of war with the US, yet their decision to proceed was influenced by the avoidance of shame within their cultural framework. Ultimately, the paper contends that the need to preserve honor and avoid shame, rather than resource acquisition, was the crucial factor leading to the Pearl Harbor attack.Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor and Shame-Based Ethical Culture: Against Resource Acquisition as a MotiveArden EbyMaster of Arts, World War II Studies Arizona State UniversityDecember, 2021