The admiral who feared war with America yet designed Pearl Harbor
“For six months or a year I can run wild, but I have utterly no confidence for the second and third years.”
Isoroku Yamamoto was an admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy and an early advocate of naval aviation. His observation of American industry and oil supplies convinced him that Japan had little prospect in a prolonged war, yet once war was chosen he sought a short opening advantage. As commander of the Combined Fleet, he forced through the Pearl Harbor strike to gain time for Japan's southern resource offensive, a choice that produced both tactical success and determined American entry into the war. He continued to command after the defeat at Midway and was killed when U.S. forces intercepted his aircraft in 1943.
Career Timeline
- 1904Graduated from the Naval Academy and entered the navy
- 1905Fought at Tsushima, was wounded and lost two fingers
- 1919–1921Studied at Harvard University
- 1925–1928Naval attaché at the Japanese embassy in Washington
- 1936–1939Vice Minister of the Navy, opposed the Tripartite Pact
- 1939–1943Commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet
- 1941Secured and directed the Pearl Harbor attack
- 1943Killed when his aircraft was intercepted over Bougainville