charliehall: The Japanese had already fought the Soviets in the 1930, and both sides were considering the possibility of a full scale war. Remember that Japan had conquered most of northeastern China, and once Germany had invaded the Soviet Union, it might have been an easy target. Also, the US was also trying to provoke Japan by aiding China (including using American troops disguised as mercenaries, i.e., the famous “Flying Tigers”) and enacting serious economic sanctions against Japan. Japan could have easily skipped Pearl Harbor, respected Philippines neutrality (still a US protectorate, though a date for full independence had already been set), and concentrated on attacking British and Dutch colonial territories knowing that very few Americans would go to war to protect foreign empires). Both political parties were isolationist, and if the Axis put up with American government provocations, it is unlikely the United States would have entered the war on its own, and it is unlikely in that even that the British Empire and Soviet Union would have prevailed, and the Third Reich would still control most of Europe.
And thus the bottom line, Pearl Harbor needs to be seen as something from Shmayim that saved European Jews (meaning the original poster would not be around to post anything since his parents would have died during the war).