Minoru Genda designed much of the Pearl Harbor attack plan under Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
Genda was a Japanese naval officer and aviation strategist who developed the operational details for using carrier aircraft against the U.S. Pacific Fleet. His planning helped turn Yamamoto’s broad concept into a coordinated air operation.
The plan depended on surprise, long-range carrier movement, specialized torpedoes for shallow water, and attacks on ships and airfields at nearly the same time. Genda worked with other officers, including Mitsuo Fuchida, who commanded the first wave in the air.
Yamamoto remained the senior commander and political force behind the operation, while Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo commanded the attacking carrier force at sea. These distinct roles are often blended together in popular accounts.