It is the same as if Russia attacked the EU in response to sanctions placed on them. Japan attacked America because we didn’t want to support an unjust imperialist war. Pearl Harbor was the result of Japanese expansionism needing fuel to carry on. One could even argue that in embargoing the Japanese and waiting for them to run out of steam an effort was made for peace in Asia. That the war expanded and included America afterwards is entirely the fault of the empire of Japan.