Victory at Sea IJN fleet box

countdown20200829 0000countdown For centuries Japan's policy of seclusion (sakoku) saw it concentrate on coastal defences in order to repel foreign vessels However with the advances other maritime nations were making it eventually became obvious that no longer would Japan be able to ignore the rest of the world As an island power it needed a modern navy Turning to Britain for assistance Japan quickly created a powerful modern fleet It was this capable and confident navy that came out to fight the American Pacific Fleet The Japanese understood the potential of air power early and created an effective carrier arm In addition to the carriers the Imperial Japanese Navy possessed a powerful battleship force which included the largest and most powerful battleships in the world the Yamato and the Musashi The Imperial Japanese Navy's potential was demonstrated in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 Using armour-piercing bombs and torpedoes Japanese aircraft i