After decades of obfuscation, Japan stated today for the first time that bungling within the Foreign Ministry 53 years ago was responsible for Japan's failure to declare war on the United States before launching its attack on Pearl Harbor.
The acknowledgement came in documents that were released to clear the air on outstanding questions from the war in advance of the 50th anniversary of Japan's surrender, next Aug. 15. But the documents are unlikely to resolve the basic issue: why Japan acted as it did.
The attack on Honolulu, which was a total surprise, was regarded by Washington as treachery. The Japanese killed 2,348 Americans and destroyed 188 planes and 19 warships, a crippling blow. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war the next day.
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