But why did the USA impose those embargoes? Was it because Japan was run by a bunch of militaristic shits who had decided that they had a divine right to run East Asia and had started the job in 1937 by invading China. And then they'd signed a pact with Germany and Italy. Over there the Second World War started in 1937.

Maybe they should have just joined the existing war with Britain. They could have taken Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore etc. The Dutch East Indies could not be defended, plenty of oil there. They had a working relationship with Vichy France to use airfields in French Indo-China, if not that would be easy to invade. What would the USA do then?