Nyuma y’igitero gikomeye cyagabwe n’Ubuyapani kuri Pearl Harbor ku ya 7 Ukuboza 1941, Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika yinjiye mu Ntambara ya Kabiri y’Isi yose. Ubuyapani bwari bumaze gutsinda intambara nyinshi mu nyanja ya Pacific, bukigarurira ibice byinshi birimo Philippines, Malaya, na Singapore. Bukomeje kwagura ubutegetsi bwayo mu burasirazuba bwa Aziya, Ubuyapani bwifuje kwigarurira ikirwa cya Midway, giherereye hagati ya Hawaii n’Ubuyapani, kugira ngo gikomeze gutsikamira Amerika no kuyibuza kongera kubona ijambo mu nyanja ya Pacific. Icyari kigambiriwe ni ugutera igitero gikomeye kizatsinda burundu ingabo za Amerika z’inyanja, maze bigatuma Amerika yisubira ku rugamba.
Ubuyobozi bw’ingabo za Amerika bwari bwateye intambwe ikomeye mu bijyanye no gusesengura ubutumwa bw’ibanga bw’Ubuyapani. Abashinzwe umutekano n’iperereza (cryptographers) ba Amerika bari bamaze gusesengura ibimenyetso bigaragaza ko Ubuyapani bugiye kugaba igitero kuri Midway. Ayo makuru yafashije Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, umuyobozi w’ingabo z’inyanja za Amerika, gutegura uburyo bwo kugwa gitumo ingabo z’Ubuyapani. Byatumye Amerika yohereza ubwato bw’intambara, indege n’ingabo nyinshi hafi ya Midway, aho bari biteguye kwakira uwo mugambi w’umwanzi.
Intambara yatangiye ku ya 4 Kamena 1942, ubwo indege z’Ubuyapani zagabaga igitero ku kirwa cya Midway. Ariko kubera ko Amerika yari yiteguye, yahise igaba igitero cyihuse gikomeye ku bwato bw’Ubuyapani. Mu masaha make, indege za Amerika zasenye amato ane manini y’indege y’intambara y’Ubuyapani (Aircraft Carriers): Akagi, Kaga, Soryu na Hiryu, n’ubundi bwato butandukanye. Ibi byahitanye abapilote b’inzobere benshi n’abasirikare barenga 3,000 b’Ubuyapani. Nubwo Amerika yatakaje ubwato bumwe bw’indege, USS Yorktown, ndetse n’abandi basirikare, yari imaze gutsinda urugamba rukomeye.
Intambara ya Midway yahindutse intambwe ikomeye mu guhindura icyerekezo cy’Intambara ya Kabiri y’Isi yose. Kuba Ubuyapani bwaratakaje ubwato 4 bukomeye n’abasirikare benshi byabaye igihombo gikomeye kitigeze gisubirwamo. Ku rundi ruhande, Amerika yari ikiri gushaka intege, ariko iyi ntsinzi yayihaye icyizere cyo gukomeza kurwanya kugeza itsinze. Kuva ubwo, Amerika n’abafatanyabikorwa bayo batangiye kugenda bigarurira ibice byari byigaruriwe n’Ubuyapani, kugeza intambara irangiye mu 1945. Midway yagaragaje ko ubushishozi, ubutasi n’imyiteguro bishobora gutsinda ubwinshi n’imbaraga zisumbuye.