Pearl Harbor created a contradiction in Japan's strategy. An angry American advance could have exposed the US fleet to the attrition battles Japan wanted, but the attack damaged the battle line needed for that immediate advance. The Standard-type battleships were built to manoeuvre together and deliver concentrated fire as a mass battle fleet. They formed the relatively slow anvil in this comparison. The newer fast battleships and carriers supplied the more mobile hammer and remained available or were still entering service. Force disparity against Britain and the United States was already pushing Japan away from confidence in an attritional victory. The raid therefore needs to be judged against the wider war Japan could sustain, as well as the damage inflicted in port.
Notable Point · 1:54:39-1:59:07
How Pearl Harbor disrupted Japan's own attrition strategy
The strike disabled the American battle line strongly enough to prevent the rash advance Japan wanted, while leaving the fast battleships and carriers that would become the fleet's offensive hammer.