Before the United States declared war on Japan didn't the Japanese give the United States metals to show their friendship?

Answer

No. The United States declared war on Japan in World War II in reciprocity to Japan's declaration of war on the United States and Britain.

Additionally, the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor without any warning on a Sunday morning, prior to the declaration of war being delivered to the United States.

The only "gift" of metal that Japan gave the United States was in the form of bombs and bullets that resulted in 2,388 killed and 1,178 wounded.

Answer

In the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor there is a reference to "Friendship Medals."
Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle: Secretary of the Navy gave me these.
Danny: What are they?
Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle: Friendship medals the Japanese gave us when they were pretending they wanted peace.
Rafe: What do you want me to do with them sir?
Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle: We're gonna wire them to the bombs and give them back.

Answer

Actually, there were "Friendship Medals" that had been given to US servicemen by the Japanese before Pearl Harbor, and yes, we did return at least 5 of them, wired to bombs delivered by modified B-25B bombers during the Doolittle raid on April 18, 1942. AND... yes, the Doolitle Raid was in retalliation for the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, before any formal declaration of war. In fact the Japanese fleet left Japan while talks were underway with the US over China. But the planning took months before the actual attack. Therefore they were planning the attack on Pearl Harbor long before we were at war with them...

First answer by ID1656907093. Last edit by Kaminari. Contributor trust: 44 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 59 [recommend question]