A nation's decision to go to war cannot be taken lightly. War requires many sacrifices and, more often than not, results in great suffering for an entire nation. For some, the humiliation of defeat can be worse than any physical pain endured by a car. As Akira Iriye's Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War shows, Japanese leaders decided that war with the United States was in their nation's best interest, knowing full well the cost of war. Japanese leaders' concern for their nation's self-preservation and self-defense, their anxiety over perceived hostile attitudes on the part of the West, and the importance of making a timely war decision led them on a path that resulted in war with the United States. By the 1900s, Japan had become a major player in world affairs. Their only glaring weakness, however, was the lack of natural resources. Japan's lack of natural resources presented a risk to its self-preservation and self-defense. Civilians were asked to “consider an alternative diet, such as soy” (22), in place of traditional rice. Steel available for civilian use was "allocated on a priority basis, the allocation being kept to a minimum" (22) and shipments intended for civilian use were also limited. Despite these concessions made by Japanese civilians, the military had to make its own concessions to cope with limited resources. Japan had to resort to “taking measures such as standardization and lowering the quality of ships to be built” (21) in order to ensure a supply of resources meeting demand. The majority of petroleum products, “the most vital energy resource for Japan at that time” (143), were imported into the country. The Japanese relied heavily on oil and feared a shortage of... middle of paper ... and self-defense. The occupation of Manchuria and the southern territories led to high tensions between Japan and Western countries. In an attempt to resolve these disputes, Japanese leaders worked to achieve peace through negotiation, while making many concessions along the way. However, they believed that the United States was negotiating in bad faith because of the hostilities it was waging against Japan. Over time, negotiations failed to bring these nations closer to peace. Instead, Japanese leaders viewed the passage of time as detrimental to their survival. They viewed the passage of time as an opportunity for the United States to better prepare for war. All of these events led the Japanese to believe that their nation's existence was in danger. Essentially, Japan had a choice between attacking or defending, as war had become inevitable; they chose to attack.