Japanese policy was one of non-compromise. The need for additional resources was becoming paramount.
Once a stalemate was reached it was only a matter of time before war would break out, but the summer and fall of 1941 were needed by both sides to prepare for the inevitable.
The civilian government in Japan had hoped for a peaceful resolution. The militarists needed time to plan their strategy. The United States also needed time to prepare for war on the home front and to reinforce its army and naval forces in the Pacific.
When General Hiddeki Tojo was appointed premier of Japan in mid-October 1941, any chance of a peaceful resolution was gone. In early November, the Japanese Army and Navy concluded a "Central Agreement" outlining the scheme for conquest.
A principal part of that scheme involved the destruction of the United States Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor. The plan for war was completed.
