Yamamoto was very pragmatic and realized what Japan had embarked upon with this " I fear we have awakened a dragon and filled him with a terrible resolve" in response to the crew on his flagship celebrating the sneak attack. The American aircraft carriers,absent from Pearl due to sheer chance while participating in exercises, was responsible for turning the tide at Midway,a mere 6 mos. later. Had they been at Pearl on Dec. 7 the war w/Japan would have gone to 1946 or possibly even 1947.The order is given: Bomb Pearl Harbor | November 5, 1941 | HISTORY
On November 5, 1941, the Combined Japanese Fleet receive Top‑Secret Order No. 1: In just over a month’s time, Pearl Harbor is to be bombed, along with Malaya (now known as Malaysia), the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines. Relations between the United States and Japan had been deteriorating...www.history.com
“In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Britain, I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success.”
Isoroku Yamamoto
"While the quote is widely attributed to Yamamoto, it is likely a paraphrase that captures his general strategic outlook rather than an exact phrase he used.
Edwin P. Hoyt’s "Yamamoto: The Man Who Planned Pearl Harbor" (1990), mention this statement as a reflection of Yamamoto's known strategic views."