Japan, not America, initiated the Pacific War

Did the United States start the Pacific War because it fired the first shot near Pearl Harbor?

No. Japan initiated the attack and had already expanded its war in Asia, so the local firing sequence does not change responsibility for the conflict.

The United States did not start the Pacific War merely because an American unit fired the first local shot. Japan had already waged war in China from 1937 and deliberately sent forces to attack American territory. A defender's shot against an approaching attacking force does not transfer strategic responsibility for initiating hostilities. The distinction matters because tactical sequence and political aggression answer different historical questions. Pearl Harbor must be placed inside Japan's wider expansion rather than isolated to the final minutes before the air raid.