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<i>Tora! Tora! Tora! </i> (1970) is a major Hollywood motion picture depicting the Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Japanese air force attacked the US Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Pacific's most important American naval base in the Pacific. The Japanese destroyed a significant number of American vessels , and in the process, some 2000 US service personnel were killed. The attack on Pearl Harbor changed the history of the world. It provoked America into declaring war on Japan and soon the US was also at war with the other Axis powers, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Tora! Tora! Tora! is a Japanese-American epic that dramatizes the attack on Pearl Harbor and sought to be as historically accurate as possible. The film was directed by the American director Richard Fleischer and the Japanese duo of Toshio Masuda and Kanji Fukasaku.

Unlike other It provoked America into declaring war on Japan, and soon the US was also at war movies of with the time other Axis powers, Italy and indeed since the motion picture did not seek an all-star castGermany. Rather it selected wellTora! Tora! Tora! is a Japanese-established and respected actors such as Jason Robards and Joseph Cotton, so not to distract from the historical accuracy of American epic that dramatizes the film and to make it more realistic. The screenplay was based attack on the research Pearl Harbor and books of the military historian Ladislas Farago. The production team took great pains seeks to be as historically accurate as it could. Some of the technical advisors had been involved in various stages of the events at Pearl Harbor in 1941possible. The film was also committed to providing both an directed by the American director Richard Fleischer and the Japanese perspective duo of Toshio Masuda and wanted to avoid a glorification of US military powerKanji Fukasaku.

The film was Unlike other war movies of the time, the motion picture did not seek an all-star cast. Rather, it selected well- received established and respected actors such as Jason Robards and Joseph Cotton to make it more realistic. The screenplay was panned by based on the critics who claimed that it was overlong research and tedious. It was a massive hit in Japan, where the audiences liked the sympathetic portrayal books of the Japanesemilitary historian Ladislas Farago. The film is named after production team took great pains to be as accurate as it could. Some of the Japanese code name for technical advisors had been involved in various stages of the assault on events at Pearl Harbor. Tora means ‘surprise’ or ‘lightening strike’ in the Japanese language1941. The movie remains very popular film was also committed to this day, while not considered a classic. Indeed, it has shaped many providing both an American and Japanese perceptions of Pearl Harbor. This article will discuss the accuracy of Tora Tora Tora perspective and if it presents a reliable account of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harborwanted to avoid US military power glorification.

===The Background===The film largely portrays the background to the attack on Pearl Harbor very accurately. Tensions had been rising between America was not well-received, and Japan for many years. During WWI, it was panned by the Japanese critics who claimed that it was overlong and the Americans had been alliestedious. However, when It was a massive hit in Japan invaded Manchuria in China in 1931 the American government and public were outraged<ref> Clarke, Thurston. Pearl Harbor Ghosts: The Legacy of December 7, 1941. New York: Ballantine Publishing Group, 2001.p. 78</ref>. The relationship between Tokyo and where the US deteriorated over audiences liked the years, especially after sympathetic portrayal of the Japanese signed a treaty with Italy and Nazi Germany. The movie clearly shows how poor film is named after the relationship between Japanese code name for the Americans and Japanese had become by 1941assault on Pearl Harbor. This was after Tora means ‘surprise’ or ‘lightning strike’ in the Japanese army had occupied most of Indochina then a French colony with the agreement of the Vichy French governorlanguage. In response The movie remains very popular to thisday, the Americans had placed economic sanctions on Japan especially on the export of oilwhile not considered a classic. This was intended to slow the Japanese war machine in China as the Indeed, it has shaped many American and Japanese did not have their own supplies perceptions of oilPearl Harbor. This led to article will discuss the Japanese militarists drawing up accuracy of Tora Tora Tora and if it presents a plan to attack the American naval base in Hawaii. The atmosphere reliable account of mistrust between the two nations is brilliantly portrayedJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

On December 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt did appeal to ====The Background====The film largely portrays the Japanese government for a peaceful resolution of the escalating crisis in the Pacific and he received no response. FDR was opposed to the Axis powers but he did not want to enter the war and wanted background to maintain US neutrality. The Americans were very concerned about the possibility of a Japanese attack. This is all shown in the motion picture. The movie also makes clear that the US believed that its Pacific fleet was safe in on Pearl Harborvery accurately. The movie correctly how Tensions had been rising between America and Japan for many years. During WWI, the US naval command failed to anticipate a Japanese aerial assault on Pearl Harbor. The movie also shows how and the Americans became aware of a Japanese plot to attack Pearl Harbor after they had decoded some secret communicationsbeen allies. The movie shows the intelligence services messaging the US Navy However, when Japan invaded Manchuria in Pearl Harbor but that they failed to reach those China in command. This actually happened and if 1931, the US intelligence services message had been relayed to Pearl Harbor in time then they could have defended themselves American government and denied the Japanese the element of surprise which was so important in their attackpublic were outraged.<ref>Clausen, Henry C.Clarke, and Bruce LeeThurston. Pearl HarborGhosts: Final JudgmentThe Legacy of December 7, 1941. New York: Crown PublishersBallantine Publishing Group, Inc2001., 1992, p. 11278</ref>The relationship between Tokyo and the US deteriorated over the years, especially after the Japanese signed a treaty with Italy and Germany.

===The Attack===[[File: PearlHarborCarrierChart.jpg |200px|thumb|left|Chart showing movie clearly shows how poor the route taken by relationship between the Americans and Japanese carrier group, December had become by 1941]]The scenes in the movie where . After the Japanese attacked army had occupied most Indochina, then a French colony with the US fleet moored in Pearl Harbor are very accurateVichy French governor's agreement. The Japanese attack involved a number of aircraft carriers escorted by battleships that all maintained radio silence as they sailed through In response to this, the central Pacific<ref> ClausenAmericans had placed economic sanctions on Japan, pespecially on oil export. 117</ref>. The attack This was intended to slow the Japanese war machine in China as shown in the movie Japanese did not involve any Japanese warships attacking the US fleethave their own oil supplies. Rather This led to the entire operations were carried out by Japan's fearsome Zero fighter planes and torpedo bombers. These aircraft took off as shown from Japanese aircraft carriers and made their way militarists drawing up a plan to Pearl Harbor once again maintaining strict radio silenceattack the American naval base in Hawaii. The Americans are shown as being taken completely by surprise and this was atmosphere of mistrust between the case. This was to prove crucialtwo nations is brilliantly portrayed.

The On December 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appealed to the Japanese attacked government for a peaceful resolution of the American ships with bombs escalating crisis in the Pacific and torpedoesreceived no response. They had developed very sophisticated torpedoes and they were dropped FDR was opposed to the Axis powers, at a low altitude by but he did not want to enter the Japanese Zeros war and they sped through the water just below the surfacemaintain US neutrality. They detonated when they hit their target. These torpedoes The Americans were able to hit many American cruisers and battleships beneath the water line and they sank very quickly even though they were moored in concerned about the Harborpossibility of a Japanese attack. This is also all shown very dramatically but also very realisticallyin the motion picture. The disorganized nature of the American defense is movie also shown and the lack of air cover for makes clear that the US believed that its Pacific fleet is also accuratewas safe in Pearl Harbor. However, the planes that were used in the The movie were not actually Japanese Zeros. They were adapted RCAF Harvard (T-6 Texan) training and BT-13 Valiant training aircraft and had the distinctive markings of correctly how the US naval command failed to anticipate a Japanese air force painted aerial assault on their wings and tail-wings.<ref> Slackman, Michael. Target: Pearl Harbor. Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 1990, p. 113</ref>

The movie was able also shows how the Americans became aware of a Japanese plot to acquire attack Pearl Harbor after decoding some planes from the time such as B-17s and the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. The US P-40 planes shown in the motion picture are in reality only elaborate fiberglass propssecret communications. The movie does accurately capture shows the extensive damage and destruction of intelligence services messaging the attack. The Japanese attack was almost a complete success. However, US Navy in Pearl Harbor but that they failed to sink reach those in command. This actually happened. If the US aircraft carriersintelligence services message had been relayed to Pearl Harbor in time, for they could have defended themselves and denied the simple reasonJapanese the element of surprise, that they were on maneuverswhich was so important in their attack.<ref> CollierClausen, RichardHenry C., and Bruce Lee. The Road to Pearl Harbor. 1941: Final Judgment. New York: Bonanza BooksCrown Publishers, 1981Inc., 1992, p. 112</ref>. This meant that the Japanese did not achieve all their objectives and this is shown very clearly in the movie. In one scene, the Japanese commander of the attack Admiral Yamamoto is informed that the US aircraft carriers had not been moored in Pearl Harbor. He clearly shows his disappointment and he displays a sense of foreboding. The aircraft carriers such as the USS Yorktown were to spearhead the counter-attack against the Japanese in the Pacific.

====The Japanese Declaration of WarAttack====[[File: Pearlharborcolork13513PearlHarborCarrierChart.jpg|200px300px|thumb|left| An explosion of Chart showing the route taken by the USS Arizona that sank in Pearl HaborJapanese carrier group, December 1941]]The scenes in the movie despite its attempts to represent where the reality of Japanese attacked the attack on US fleet moored in Pearl Harbor does not portray accurately the role of the Japanese in the attackare very accurate. The movie was a joint Japanese-American production and this perhaps led to some distortions. The first one is the idea propagated attack involved several aircraft carriers escorted by battleships that all maintained radio silence as they sailed through the filmmakers was that Pearl Harbor was to suggest that it was not a surprise attackcentral Pacific<ref> Clausen, p. 117</ref>. The Japanese As shown in the movie are shown preparing a formal declaration of war that was to be presented to , the American Secretary of State in Washington D.C. This suggests that the Japanese attack did not want to launch a surprise and illegal attack which was against international laws and also cowardlyinvolve any Japanese warships attacking the US fleet. The movie indicates that because of some delays Rather the entire operations were carried out by Japan's fearsome Zero fighter planes and technical difficulties that the Japanese failed to submit the declaration of war on timetorpedo bombers. There was a document submitted These aircraft took off as shown by the Japanese aircraft carriers and made their way to the Pearl Harbor, maintaining strict radio silence. The Americans but it was not an official declaration of warare shown as being taken completely by surprise, ‘rather it and this was an ultimatumthe case.’<ref>Collier, pThis was to prove crucial. 14</ref>

The government in Tokyo did not intend to declare war on America as this would have ruined their plans for a surprise attack on Japanese attacked the US fleet moored in Pearl HarborAmerican ships with bombs and torpedoes. In factThey had developed very sophisticated torpedoes, research indicated that and they were dropped at a low altitude by the Japanese delayed this ultimatum at Zeros and sped through the water just below the surface. They detonated when they hit their target. These torpedoes hit many American cruisers and battleships beneath the last minute waterline, and they sank very quickly even though they were moored in case it alerted the Americans to Harbor. This is also shown very dramatically but also very realistically. The American defense's disorganized nature is also shown, and the possibility US fleet's lack of a military strikeair cover is also accurate. On at least two occasions However, the planes that were used in the movie, Admiral Yamamoto states that the document was a declaration of war were not actually Japanese Zeros. They were adapted RCAF Harvard (T-6 Texan) training and BT-13 Valiant training aircraft and he is shown to be visibly upset when he learns that the document had not been submitted to the American Secretary distinctive markings of State, before the attack Japanese air force painted on their wings and tail-wings.<ref> ClausenSlackman, Michael. Target: Pearl Harbor. Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 1990, p. 11113</ref>. This is totally inaccurate. The Japanese after the war wanted to show that the attack on Pearl Harbor was not a cowardly attack and invented the idea that they had attempted to declare war on the Americans before the events of the 7th of December, 1941. The movie is too reliant on the Japanese interpretation of the events which are biased and inaccurate.

===Emperor Hirohito===Another inaccuracy and distortion of the history of the time is the portrayal of Emperor Hirohito. In the movie, he is shown as a moderate man who was essential peace<dh-loving. In the movie, he is portrayed as essentially powerless and that real power lay in the hands of the militarists such as Prime Minister Tojo who dominated the government. Tora Tora Tora portrays Hirohito as essential a figurehead and who was not responsible in any way for the attack.<ref>Goldstein, Donald M., and Katherine V. Dillon, eds. <i>The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans<ad/i>. New York: Brassey's, 1993. p. 45</ref> The issue of Hirohito’s role in the war has always been controversial. Many have argued that he could have done more to stop the conflict and indeed that he actively cooperated with the Japanese militarists as they tried to create a Japanese Empire in the Asia-Pacific region. The movie goes to great lengths to show that the Emperor was not responsible for the surprise attack on the US Fleet anchored in Hawaii. The motion picture shows the Japanese generals as dominating the Emperor and his only role was to sign documents that were placed before him.

In The movie was able to acquire some planes from the time B-17s and the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. The US P-40 planes shown in the motion picture are, in reality, only elaborate fiberglass props. The movie does accurately captures the extensive damage and destruction of the political situation in Tokyo attack. The Japanese attack was not as straightforward as suggested in almost a complete success. However, they failed to sink the US aircraft carriers for the moviesimple reason they were on maneuvers.<ref> ClausenCollier, Richard. The Road to Pearl Harbor. 1941. New York: Bonanza Books, 1981, p. 23112</ref> The makers of the movie would have us believe This meant that the Japanese military practically forced did not achieve all their objectives, shown very clearly in the reluctant Emperor to sign the document that ordered the attack on Pearl Harbormovie. In factone scene, Hirohito was a far more powerful figure than indicated and that the military had to report to him and that under the constitution Japanese commander of 1936 he was entitled to raise objections to any decision and could even veto government actions. The movie gives the official version of the role of Hirohito in the warattack, Admiral Yamamoto, is informed that he was only a figurehead. It must be remembered that Hirohito was still Emperor of Japan at the time and was a much-revered figure. In fact, the surprise attack on US aircraft carriers had not been moored in Pearl Harbor was not objected to by the Hirohito and he permitted it to occur. In theoryHe clearly shows his disappointment, and he could have prevented the attack but as in so many other instances, he did nothingdisplays a sense of foreboding. The Emperor it was believed was sympathetic aircraft carriers such as the USS Yorktown were to spearhead the counter-attack on Peral Harbor and the general aims of against the Japanese military, but none of this is shown in the moviePacific.

===Conclusion=The Japanese Declaration of War====Tora Tora Tora is a dramatic movie with some great action scenes and in many ways, it is an accurate portrayal [[File: Pearlharborcolork13513.jpg|300px|thumb|left| An explosion of what happened on the USS Arizona that terrible day on sank in Pearl Habor]]Despite its attempts to represent the 7th reality of December 1941. The background to Pearl Harbor and the attack on the US fleet is largely accurate and in many ways, it does show what actually occurred. HoweverPearl Harbor, there are some serious failings in the movie and they are does not accurately portray the typical inaccuracies in a Hollywood blockbuster. The role of the Japanese in the attack is very inaccurate. The attempt movie was a joint Japanese-American production, and this perhaps led to show some distortions. The first one is that the Japanese government attempted to submit a formal declaration of war was an effort to gloss over the fact filmmakers propagated that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a sneak attack to suggest that it was contrary to all international laws and was not a blatant act of aggression. Then the movie's portrayal of the role of Emperor Hirohito was also incorrect and it understates his role in the events in the run-up to the Japanese surprise attack on the 7th of December 1941. These are serious failings and they undermine the credibility of the film and give a false sense of the events.

The government in Tokyo did not intend to declare war on America as this would have ruined their plans for a surprise attack on the US fleet moored in Pearl Harbor. In fact, research indicated that the Japanese delayed this ultimatum at the last minute if it alerted the Americans to the possibility of a military strike. On at least two occasions in the movie, Admiral Yamamoto states that the document was a war declaration. He is shown to be visibly upset when he learns that the document had not been submitted to the American Secretary of State before the attack.<ref> Clausen, p. 11</ref> This is totally inaccurate. After the war, the Japanese wanted to show that the attack on Pearl Harbor was not cowardly and invented the idea that they had attempted to declare war on the Americans before the events of the 7th of December, 1941. The movie is too reliant on the Japanese interpretation of the events, which are biased and inaccurate. ====Emperor Hirohito====Another inaccuracy and distortion of the history of the time is the portrayal of Emperor Hirohito. In the movie, he is shown as a moderate man who was essential peace-loving, and that real power lay in the hands of the militarists such as Prime Minister Tojo, who dominated the government. Tora Tora Tora portrays Hirohito as an essential figurehead and who was not responsible in any way for the attack.<ref>Goldstein, Donald M., and Katherine V. Dillon, eds. <i>The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans</i>. New York: Brassey's, 1993. p. 45</ref>  The issue of Hirohito’s role in the war has always been controversial. Many have argued that he could have done more to stop the conflict. Indeed, he actively cooperated with the Japanese militarists to create a Japanese Empire in the Asia-Pacific region. The movie goes to great lengths to show that the Emperor was not responsible for the surprise attack on the US Fleet anchored in Hawaii. The motion picture shows the Japanese generals as dominating the Emperor, and his only role was to sign documents that were placed before him.  In reality, the political situation in Tokyo was not as straightforward as suggested in the movie.<ref> Clausen, p. 23</ref> The makers of the movie would have us believe that the Japanese military practically forced the reluctant Emperor to sign the document that ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor. In fact, Hirohito was a far more powerful figure than indicated. The military had to report to him and that under the constitution of 1936, he was entitled to raise objections to any decision and even veto government actions.  The movie gives the official version of Hirohito's role in the war that he was only a figurehead. It must be remembered that Hirohito was still Emperor of Japan at the time and was a much-revered figure. In fact, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was not objected to by Hirohito, and he permitted it to occur. He could have prevented the attack in theory, but he did nothing in so many other instances. The Emperor, it was believed, was sympathetic to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the general aims of the Japanese military, but none of this is shown in the movie. ====Conclusion====Tora Tora Tora is a dramatic movie with some great action scenes, and in many ways, it is an accurate portrayal of what happened on that terrible day on the 7th of December 1941. The background to Pearl Harbor and the attack on the US fleet is largely accurate, and in many ways, it does show what actually occurred. However, there are some serious failings in the movie, and they are not the typical inaccuracies in a Hollywood blockbuster. The role of the Japanese in the attack is very inaccurate.  The attempt to show that the Japanese government attempted to submit a formal declaration of war was an effort to gloss over the fact that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a sneak attack that was contrary to all international laws and was a blatant act of aggression. Then the movie's portrayal of the role of Emperor Hirohito was also incorrect, and it understates his role in the events in the run-up to the Japanese attack on the 7th of December 1941. These are serious failings, and they undermine the credibility of the film and give a false sense of the events. <youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PfdQod8HTw</youtube> ====References====