Why did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor?

If the United
States naval base at Pearl Harbor could be destroyed, Japan would gain a crucial advantage in
its quest to control the Pacific.  However, before the strike was authorized, the Japanese
admirals and other war strategists discussed the pros and cons of the surprise attack.  One of
the officers, I think Hashimoto, was the one who cautioned that the attack could backfire
because it would awaken "the sleeping tiger", meaning that the US would be as hard to
deal with as a tiger awakened from its sleep.