They knew after the Russo-Japanese War that they could fight; they knew from the war in China that they would. They just left the obsolete ships as bait.
Exactly. One has to look at what Japan gained from the attack. Virtually nothing. They sank battleships which were no longer really viable with the advent of the aircraft carrier and relatively useless fighter planes.
They didn’t get any carriers or fuel reserves. From a strategic standpoint it was a victory, minus the loss of life. Actually, genius, considering the results.
Soon after Pearl Harbor Tokyo was bombed and they lost the battle of Midway; Yamamoto was right that they had to win in six months, or they would lose.
The Japanese were impressive for a 1930s army; they were completely outclassed in the 1940s. They looked all the more impressive because the Allies decided to finish off the Axis in Europe first. Even many of Australia’s troops were fighting the Germans in North Africa, leaving the US to defend Australia.