30 minutes before the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan attempted to declare war on the United States

One of the interesting facts about the attack on Pearl Harbor is that despite Japan's plans for a surprise attack, they intended to end peace negotiations with the United States beforehand to avoid violating the laws of war. When we go deeper into the American - Japanese conflict, we see that tensions go at least as far back as the 1920s. In the 1930s, when Japan invaded China, the tension between the two countries grew.

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan, and the United States were at the negotiating table, attempting to find a path to peace while balancing their concerns in the Asian Pacific region. The Japanese concluded that the United States was impeding their dominance of the Asian Pacific region. The Japanese Empire was no longer willing to renegotiate or share power, but rather in the total dominion of the Asian Pacific region.

Though not officially declaring war on the United States, the Japanese sent a lengthy letter that announced the end of peace negotiations and implied war. The Japanese were hoping for perfect timing so that this letter would arrive 30 minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor started. They did not account for the time required for the ambassador in Washington, D.C. to translate the letter, though. Even if the letter was delivered, the attack on Pearl Harbor had already taken place.