Alaska was closer to Japan than Pearl Harbor and had little force capable of resisting a raid or landing in 1941. A smaller carrier force could therefore create an outsized diversion without the range and target burden of San Francisco. The strike might divert American resources to northern defense, provoke anger on the continental homeland, and suggest that Japan was too weak to attack a harder objective. Anchorage's remoteness was also a liability because news of the damage might take days to produce the desired political reaction. A landing would make the affront harder to ignore but add occupation, reinforcement, and Canadian intervention risks.
Chapter · 45:32-53:09
Anchorage as a low-risk provocation
Anchorage offered an easy strike on American territory, but its remoteness and limited military value weakened the political effect.