Japanese war crimes
The U.S. officially classified all 3,649 military and civilian casualties and destruction of military property at Pearl Harbor as non-combatants as there was no state of war between the U.S. and Japan when the attack occurred. Joseph B. Keenan, the chief prosecutor in the Tokyo Trials, says that the attack on Pearl Harbor not only happened without a declaration of war but was also a treacherous and deceitful act. In fact, Japan and the U.S. were still negotiating for a possible peace agreement which kept U.S. officials very distracted when Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. Keenan explained the definition of a war of aggression and the criminality of the attack on Pearl Harbor:
List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor also struck elsewhere in the Hawaiian Islands that day, trying to disable the U.S. Marine base on Sand Island at Midway Atoll. For his actions during that engagement, a 16th Medal of Honor was awarded to a Marine who died at Sand Island on this first day of the Pacific War.The definitive book about the December 7 Medal of Honor recipients is "PEARL HARBOR'S HIDDEN HEROES" by Colonel Charles A. Jones U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (Retired). The book covers not only the December 7 Medals but also the Hammerberg Medal and the sole Medal of Honor (posthumous) for the Battle of Midway 1942, Captain Richard E. Fleming U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.