It, however, was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and 4,000 miles away from Japan. The Pacific was an area of significant importance, and Pearl Harbor had been a principal site of the American Naval placement in the Pacific Ocean since 1887. Despite months of negotiations, no agreement was made. The sanctions strained relations between the two countries even more. The United States, in turn, imposed economic sanctions and trade embargoes on Japan, stifling their access to essential war materials. By Mid-1941, the Japanese occupied all of Indochina and had entered into the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, the Axis Powers. The United States Pacific Fleet stood in their way. Japan intended to attack the Philippines, Burma, and Malaya to obtain needed resources. The United States had been alert to Japan’s efforts of expansion, and especially Japan's declaration of war on China in 1937. There had been strained relations between the United States and Japan for decades. Thus, the United States entered World War II. Three days later, Japan’s allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. President Franklin D Roosevelt called it “a date that will live in infamy,” and declared war on Japan the following day, on December 8. More than 2,400 navy personnel and civilians died and over 1,100 were injured. In just over an hour, the surprise attack destroyed or damaged more than 300 aircraft and 19 Navy ships, including 8 battleships. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, just before 8 a.m., hundreds of Japanese fighter planes and submarines attacked the United States naval base of Pearl Harbor. Federal offices, mail services, and businesses follow standard working hours. While it is a federally recognized observance, Pearl Harbor Day is not a holiday. It also honors efforts made in the Pacific War (WWII) that followed the attacks. The day is also known as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and Pearl Harbor Day. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day takes place on December 7. It commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.
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