-
- For Combined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy, analogous to the German High Seas Fleet. Before World War II, the Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under...
, please see that article.
- For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article.
- For Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, please see that article.
The
Imperial Japanese Navy (
IJN) (
{{featured article}}
-
- For Combined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy, analogous to the German High Seas Fleet. Before World War II, the Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under...
, please see that article.
- For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article.
- For Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, please see that article.
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (
{{featured article}}
-
- For Combined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy, analogous to the German High Seas Fleet. Before World War II, the Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under...
, please see that article.
- For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article.
- For Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, please see that article.
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ({{unicodeKyūjitai, literally "old character forms" , are the traditional forms of the Japanese kanji. Their simplified counterparts are shinjitai, "new character forms". The simplified characters arose centuries ago and were in everyday use in both China and Japan, but they were considered inelegant, even...
: {{lang|ja|大日本帝國海軍}}
ShinjitaiShinjitai are the forms of kanji used in Japan since the promulgation of the Tōyō Kanji List in 1946. Some of the new forms found in shinjitai are also found in simplified Chinese, but shinjitai is generally not as extensive in the scope of its modification...
: {{lang|ja|大日本帝国海軍}}
{{Audio|ja-Dai-Nippon_teikoku_kaigun.ogg|Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun}} or {{lang|ja|日本海軍}}
Nippon Kaigun), literally
Navy of the Empire of Greater Japan was the
navyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
of the
Empire of JapanThe Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the...
from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. It was the third largest navy in the world by 1920 behind the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
and
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
. It was supported by the
Imperial Japanese Navy Air ServiceThe Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.It was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and...
for aircraft and airstrike operation from the fleet. It was the primary opponent of the
AlliesIn general, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose. In English usage, those who share a common goal and whose work toward that goal is complementary may be viewed as allies for various purposes even when...
in the
Pacific WarThe Pacific War was the part of World War II—and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia. The war began as a conflict with the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China on July 7, 1937, but by December 1941, became part of the greater World War II,...
.
The origins of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with nations on the
Asian continentAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
, beginning in the early medieval period and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of
cultural exchangeCultural diffusion, as first conceptualized by the famous Alfred L. Kroeber in his influential 1940 paper Stimulus Diffusion, or trans-cultural diffusion in later reformulations, is used in cultural anthropology and cultural geography to describe the spread of cultural items—such as ideas, styles,...
with
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an powers during the
Age of DiscoveryThe Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration, was a period in history starting in the 15th century and continuing into the 17th century, during which Europeans and its descendants intensively explored and mapped the world...
. After two centuries of stagnation during the country's ensuing
seclusion policywas the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633-1639 and remained in effect until...
under the
shogun is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The modern rank is equivalent to a Generalissimo...
s of the
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
, Japan's navy was comparatively backward when the country was forced open to trade by
American interventionOn March 31, 1854, the or was concluded between Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy and the Empire of Japan. The treaty opened the Japanese ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to United States trade, guaranteed the safety of shipwrecked U.S. sailors; however, the treaty did not create a basis...
in 1854. This eventually led to the
Meiji RestorationThe , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure...
. Accompanying the re-ascendance of the
EmperorThe of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. He is also the highest authority of the Shinto religion...
came a period of frantic
modernizationModernization is a concept used in sociology and politics. It is the view that a standard, teleological evolutionary pattern, as described in the social evolutionism theories, exists as a template for all nations and peoples...
and industrialization. The navy's history of successes, sometimes against much more powerful foes as in the
Sino-Japanese warThe First Sino-Japanese War was a war fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over the control of Korea...
and the
Russo-Japanese WarThe Russo-Japanese War or the Manchurian Campaign in some English sources, was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, ended in almost complete annihilation during the concluding days of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
largely by the
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
(USN). The IJN was officially dissolved in 1947.
Origins
{{main|Naval history of Japan}}
Japan has a long history of naval interaction with the Asian continent, involving transportation of troops between
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
and Japan, starting at least with the beginning of the Kofun period in the 3rd century.
Following the attempts at
Mongol invasions of JapanThe ' of 1274 and 1281 were major military invasions and conquests undertaken by Kublai Khan to take the Japanese islands after the capitulation of Goryeo . Despite their ultimate failure, the invasion attempts are of macrohistorical importance, because they set a limit on Mongol expansion, and...
by
Kubilai KhanKublai or Khubilai Khan , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty...
in 1274 and 1281, Japanese
wakōWokou or Japanese pirates were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the thirteenth century onwards...
became very active in plundering the coast of the Chinese Empire.
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
undertook major naval building efforts in the 16th century, during the
Warring States periodThe was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict in Japan that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century....
, when feudal rulers vying for supremacy built vast coastal navies of several hundred ships. Around that time, Japan may have developed one of the first
ironcladAn ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the later part of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire, was launched by the...
warships, when
Oda Nobunaga was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province. Nobunaga lived a life of continuous military conquest, eventually conquering a third of Japanese daimyo before his death in 1582...
, a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
daimyois a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in premodern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
, had six iron-covered
OatakebuneAtakebune were large Japanese warships of the 16th and 17th century internecine Japanese wars for political control and unity of all Japan.Japan undertook major naval building efforts in the mid to late 16th century, during the Sengoku period, when feudal rulers vying for supremacy built vast...
made in 1576. In 1588,
Toyotomi Hideyoshiwas a daimyo in the Sengoku period who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle. He is noted for a number of cultural legacies, including the...
issued a ban on Wakō piracy; the pirates then became vassals of Hideyoshi, and comprised the naval force used in the Japanese invasion of Korea.
Japan built her first large ocean-going warships in the beginning of the 17th century, following contacts with the Western nations during the
Nanban trade periodThe or the in Japanese history extends from the arrival of the first Europeans to Japan in 1543, to their near-total exclusion from the archipelago in 1641, under the promulgation of the "Sakoku" Seclusion Edicts.-Etymology:...
. In 1613, the Daimyo of
Sendaiis the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. The city has a population of one million and is one of Japan's seventeen designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the daimyo Date Masamune, and is well known by its nickname, the...
, in agreement with the
TokugawaThe Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which now is called Tokyo...
Bakufu is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The modern rank is equivalent to a Generalissimo...
, built
Date MaruSan Juan Bautista was one of Japan's first Japanese-built Western-style sail warships. She crossed the Pacific in 1614. She was of the Spanish galleon type, known in Japan as Nanban-Sen San Juan Bautista (“St. John the Baptist”) (originally called Date Maru, 伊達丸 in Japanese) was one of Japan's...
, a 500 ton
galleonA galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with demi-culverin type of cannon....
-type ship that transported the Japanese embassy of
Hasekura TsunenagaHasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga was a Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyo of Sendai....
to the Americas, which then continued to Europe. From 1604, about 350 Red seal ships, usually armed and incorporating some Western technologies, were also commissioned by the Bakufu, mainly for
Southeast AsiaManila
Bangkok
Ho Chi Minh City
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Yangon
Bandung
Hanoi
Surabaya
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Medan|-|}...
n trade.
Seclusion and Western studies
Beginning in 1640, for more than 200 years Japan chose "
sakokuwas the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633-1639 and remained in effect until...
" (seclusion), which forbade contacts with the West, eradicated
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
, and prohibited the construction of ocean-going ships on pain of death. Contacts were maintained through the Dutch enclave of
Dejima, was a fan-shaped artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki that was a Dutch trading post during Japan's self-imposed isolation of the Edo period, from 1641 until 1853.-History:...
however, allowing for the transfer of a vast amount of knowledge related to the Western technological and
scientific revolutionIn the history of science, the scientific revolution was a period when new ideas in physics, astronomy, biology, human anatomy, chemistry, and other sciences led to a rejection of doctrines that had prevailed from Ancient Greece through the Middle Ages, and laid the foundation of modern science...
. This study of Western sciences, called "
rangakuRangaku is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners, 1641–1853, because of the Tokugawa shogunate’s policy of national...
", also allowed Japan to remain updated in areas relevant to naval sciences, such as
cartographyCartography is the study and practice of making geographical maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of cartography are to:*Set the map's...
,
opticsOptics is the branch of physics which studies the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
or mechanical sciences. The full study of Western
shipbuildingShipbuilding is the construction of ships. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history....
techniques resumed in the 1840s during the
Late Tokugawa shogunateare the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate came to an end. It is characterized by major events occurring between 1853 and 1867 during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku and transitioned from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government...
(
Bakumatsu).
Early modernization of the Shogunal Navy
In 1853 and 1854,
U.S. NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
CommodoreCommodore is a military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than that of a rear admiral...
Matthew PerryMatthew Calbraith Perry was the Commodore of the U.S. Navy who compelled the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.-Early life and naval career:...
made a demonstration of force with the newest steam warships of the U.S. Navy. Perry finally obtained the opening of the country to international trade through the 1854
Convention of KanagawaOn March 31, 1854, the or was concluded between Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy and the Empire of Japan. The treaty opened the Japanese ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to United States trade, guaranteed the safety of shipwrecked U.S. sailors; however, the treaty did not create a basis...
. This was soon followed by the 1858 "
unequalUnequal Treaties is a term used in reference to the type of treaties signed by several East Asian states, including Qing Dynasty China, late Tokugawa Japan, and late Joseon Korea, with Western powers and the post-Meiji Restoration Empire of Japan, during the 19th and early 20th centuries...
" U.S.-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce, which allowed the establishment of foreign concessions, extraterritoriality for foreigners, and minimal import taxes for foreign goods.
As soon as Japan agreed to open up to foreign influence, the Tokugawa shogun government initiated an active policy of assimilation of Western naval technologies. In 1855, with Dutch assistance, the Shogunate acquired its first steam warship,
Kankō Maru, which was used for training, and established the
Nagasaki Naval Training CenterThe was a naval training institute, between 1855 when it was established by the government of the Shogun, until 1859, when it was transferred to Tsukiji in Tokyo....
. In 1857, it acquired its first screw-driven steam warship, the {{Ship|Japanese warship|Kanrin Maru||2}}. In 1859, the Naval Training Center was transferred to
TsukijiTsukiji is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, the site of the Tsukiji fish market. Literally meaning "reclaimed land," it lies near the Sumida River on land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the 1700s, during the Edo period....
in
Tokyo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
. Naval students were sent to study in Western naval schools for several years, such as the future Admiral
Takeaki EnomotoViscount was a Japanese Navy admiral faithful to the Tokugawa Shogunate who fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War, but later served in the government as one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-Early life:...
(who studied in the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
from 1862–1867), starting a tradition of foreign-educated future leaders such as Admirals
Heihachirō TōgōFleet Admiral Marquis , was a Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and one of Japan's greatest naval heroes...
and, later,
Yamamoto IsorokuNaval Marshal General was the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of the U.S...
.
As early as 1863, less than 10 years after opening the country to foreign interaction, Japan completed her first domestically-built steam warship, {{Ship|Japanese gunboat|Chiyodagata||2}}. In 1865, the French naval engineer
Léonce VernyFrançois Léonce Verny, was a French officer and naval engineer who directed the construction of the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan, as well as many related modern infrastructure projects from 1865 to 1876, thus helping jump-start Japan's modernization.-Early life:Léonce Verny was born in Pont...
was hired to build Japan's first modern naval arsenals, at
Yokosukais a city located in Kanagawa, Japan.It is located at the mouth of Tokyo Bay in the Miura Peninsula, and the city stretches across the peninsula to Sagami Bay. Its neighbors are Yokohama, Miura, Hayama, and Zushi.-Heian period:...
and Nagasaki. In 1867–1868, a British Naval mission headed by
Captain TraceyThe Tracey Mission was a Naval mission of the Royal Navy sent to Japan in 1867-1868. The mission had been requested by the Shogunate in order to help develop its Navy, and more specifically to organize and superintend the Naval school at Tsukiji, Tokyo....
was sent to Japan to assist the development of the Navy and organize the naval school of Tsukiji.
By the end of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1867, the Tokugawa navy was already the largest of Eastern Asia, organized around eight Western-style steam warships and the flagship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Kaiyō Maru||2}}, which were used against pro-imperial forces during the
Boshin WarThe was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
, under the command of Admiral Enomoto. The conflict culminated with the
Naval Battle of HakodateThe was fought from 4 May-10 1869, between the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate navy, consolidated into the armed forces of the rebel Ezo Republic, and the newly formed Imperial Japanese Navy...
in 1869, Japan's first large-scale modern naval battle, and ended with the defeat of the last Tokugawa forces and the restoration of Imperial rule. The revolutionary French-built ironclad
Kotetsu, originally ordered by the Tokugawa shogunate, was received by the Imperial side and was used decisively towards the end of the conflict.
Creation of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1869)
From 1868, the restored
Meiji EmperorThe or Meiji the Great was the 122
nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death....
continued with reforms to industrialize and militarize Japan to prevent the United States and European powers from overwhelming her. On 17 January 1868, the Ministry of Military Affairs (兵部省, also known as the Army-Navy Ministry) was established, with
Iwakura Tomomiwas a Japanese statesman who played an important role in the Meiji Restoration, influencing opinions of the Imperial Court. The former 500 Yen banknote issued by the Bank of Japan carried his portrait.-Early life:...
,
Shimazu TadayoshiShimazu Tadayoshi was a daimyo of Satsuma Province during Japan's Sengoku period.He was born to a branch family of the Shimazu clan, the Mimasaka Shimazu family but after his father Shimazu Yoshihisa died, his mother married Shimazu Unkyu of another branch family, the Soshū...
and
Prince Komatsu-no-miya Akihitowas a member of the Fushimi-no-miya one of the shinnōke branches of the Imperial Family of Japan, which were eligible to succeed to the Chrysanthemum Throne in the event that the main line should die out. He served as a career soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army.-Early life:Prince Akihito was...
as the First Secretaries.
On 26 March 1868, the first Naval Review was held in Japan (in
Osaka BayOsaka Bay is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait...
), with six ships from the private domainal navies of
SagaSaga Domain was a han, or feudal domain, in Tokugawa period Japan. Largely contiguous with Hizen Province on Kyūshū, the domain was governed from Saga Castle in the capital city of Saga by the Nabeshima clan of tozama daimyō...
, Chōshū,
SatsumaThe Satsuma domain was one of the most powerful feudal domains in Tokugawa Japan, and played a major role in the Meiji Restoration and in the government of the Meiji period which followed...
,
KurumeThe ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, ruled by the Arima clan. It was located in Chikugo Province .The Arima clan became viscounts in the Meiji era.-List of lords:* Arima clan 1620-1871...
,
KumamotoThe was han or a Japanese feudal domain that was located in Higo Province apart from Kuma District and Amakusa District and part of Bungo Province . It was also known as...
and
HiroshimaHiroshima Domain was a han, or feudal domain, of Edo period Japan. Based at Hiroshima castle in the city of Hiroshima, the domain encompassed Aki province and parts of neighboring Bingo province....
participating. The total tonnage of these ships was 2,252 tons, which was far smaller than the tonnage of the single foreign vessel (from the French Navy) that also participated. The following year, in July 1869, the Imperial Japanese Navy was formally established, two months after the last combat of the
Boshin WarThe was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
.
In July 1869, the private domanial navies were abolished, and their 11 ships were added to the seven surviving vessels of the defunct Tokugawa
bakufu navy to form the core of the new Imperial Japanese Navy. In February 1872, the Ministry of Military Affairs was replaced by a separate Army Ministry ({{lang|ja|陸軍省}}) and Navy Ministry ({{lang|ja|海軍省}}). In October 1873,
Katsu Kaishuwas a Japanese naval officer and statesman during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy by Sakuma Shōzan. He went through a series of given names throughout his life; his childhood name was and his real name was...
became Navy Minister. The new government drafted an ambitious plan to create a Navy with 200 ships organized into 10 fleets. It was abandoned within a year due to lack of resources.
British support
During the 1870s and 1880s, the Imperial Japanese Navy remained an essentially coastal defense force, although the Meiji government continued to modernize it.
Jho Sho Maru (soon renamed
Ryūjō Maru) commissioned by
Thomas GloverThomas Blake Glover, Order of the Rising Sun was a British merchant in Bakumatsu and Meiji Japan. He is acknowledged in that country for considerable contributions to its modernisation...
was launched at
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 27 March 1869. In 1870, an Imperial decree determined that
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
's
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
should be the model for development, instead of the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
.
From September 1870, the English Lieutenant Horse, a former gunnery instructor for the
Saga fiefis located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
during the Bakumatsu period, was put in charge of gunnery practice onboard the
Ryūjō. In 1871, the Ministry resolved to send 16 trainees abroad for training in naval sciences (14 to Great Britain, two to the United States), among which was Heihachirō Tōgō. A 34-member British naval mission visited Japan in 1873 for two years, headed by
CommanderCommander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service...
Archibald DouglasSir Archibald Lucius Douglas, GCB, GCVO was a Royal Navy officer of the 19th century....
. Later, Commander L.P. Willan was hired in 1879 to train naval cadets.
First interventions abroad (Taiwan 1874, Korea 1875–76)
During 1873, a plan to invade the
Korean peninsulaThe Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan on the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two...
(the
SeikanronThe Seikanron debate was a major political conflagration which occurred in Japan in 1873....
proposal made by
Saigo Takamoriwas one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. He has been dubbed the last true samurai.
[ History Channel The Samurai, video documentary ]-Early life:...
) was narrowly abandoned by decision of the central government in Tokyo. In 1874, the
Taiwan expeditionThe Taiwan Expedition of 1874 , usually referred to in Taiwan and mainland China as the Mudan incident 牡丹社事件), was a punitive expedition launched by the Japanese in retaliation for the murder of 54 Ryukyuan sailors by Paiwan aborigines near the southwestern tip of Taiwan in December 1871...
was the first foray abroad of the new Imperial Japanese Navy and the
Imperial Japanese ArmyThe Imperial Japanese Army , or literally Army of the Empire of Greater Japan was the official ground based armed force of Imperial Japan from 1867 to 1945...
.
Various interventions in the Korean peninsula continued in 1875–1876, starting with the
Ganghwa Island incidentThe Ganghwa Island incident was an armed encounter between the Joseon Dynasty and Japan which occurred in the vicinity of Ganghwa Island on September, 20 1875....
({{lang|ko|江華島事件}}) provoked by the Japanese gunboat {{Ship|Japanese gunboat|Unyo||2}}, leading to the dispatch of a large force of the Imperial Japanese Navy. As a result, the
Treaty of GanghwaThe Treaty of Ganghwa, also known in Japan as Japanese-Korea Treaty of Amity , signed on February 27th, 1876, was written by Kuroda Kiyotaka, Governor of Hokkaidō, and Shin Heon, General/Minister of Joseon Dynasty Korea, also designed to open up Korea to Japanese trade...
was signed, marking the official opening of Korea to foreign trade, and Japan's first example of Western-style interventionism and adoption of "unequal treaties" tactics.
Soon, however domestic rebellions, the
Saga RebellionThe 1874 ' was one of a number of uprisings in Kyūshū against the new Meiji government of Japan by members of the former samurai-class. It was led by Etō Shimpei and Shima Yoshitake in their native domain of Hizen.-Background:...
(1874) and especially the
Satsuma RebellionThe , was a revolt of Satsuma ex-samurai against the Meiji government from January 29, 1877 to September 24,1877, 9 years into the Meiji Era. It was the last, and the most serious, of a series of armed uprisings against the new government.-Background:...
(1877), forced the government to focus on land warfare. Naval policy, expressed by the slogan
Shusei Kokubō (Jp:{{lang|ja|守勢国防}}, lit. "Static Defense"), focused on coastal defenses and a standing army (established with the assistance of the second
French Military Mission to JapanThe 1872-1880 French Military Mission to Japan was the second French military mission to that country. It followed the first French Military Mission to Japan , which had ended with the Boshin War and the establishment of the rule of Emperor Meiji....
), and a coastal Navy, leading to a military organization under the
Rikushu Kaijū (Jp:{{lang|ja|陸主海従}}, Army first, Navy second) principle.
In 1878, the Japanese cruiser
Seiki sailed to Europe with an entirely Japanese crew.
Further modernization (1870s)
Ships such as the {{Ship|Japanese ironclad warship|Fusō||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese corvette|Kongō|1877|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese corvette|Hiei|1877|2}} were built in British shipyards specifically for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Private construction companies such as
Ishikawajima, formerly known as , is a Japanese company which produces ships, aero-engines, turbochargers for automobiles, industrial machines, power station boilers and other facilities, suspension bridges and other transport-related machinery....
and Kawasaki also emerged around this time.
In 1883, two large warships were ordered from British shipyards. The {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Naniwa||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Takachiho||2}} were 3,650 ton ships. They were capable of speeds up to {{convert|18|kn|km/h mph|abbr=on}} and were armed with {{convert|54|to|76|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} deck armor and two {{convert|260|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}
KruppThe Krupp family, a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
guns. The naval architect Sasō Sachū designed these on the line of the Elswick class of protected cruisers but with superior specifications. An
arms raceThe term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for real or apparent military supremacy. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
was taking place with
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
however, who equipped herself with two 7,335 ton German-built
battleshipA battleship is a large, heavily armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers or destroyers. There are currently no battleships in service....
s of (
Ting Yüan and
Chen-Yüan). Unable to confront the Chinese fleet with only two modern cruisers, Japan resorted to French assistance to build a large, modern fleet which could prevail in the upcoming conflict.
Influence of the French "Jeune Ecole" (1880s)
During the 1880s, France took the lead in influence, due to its "
Jeune EcoleThe Jeune École was a strategic naval concept developed during the 19th century. It advocated the use of small, powerfully equipped units to combat a larger battleship fleet, and commerce raiders capable of ending the trade of the rival nation...
" ("young school") doctrine, favoring small, fast warships, especially cruisers and
torpedo boatA torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes...
s, against bigger units. The choice of France may also have been influenced by the Minister of the Japanese Navy (海軍卿), who happened to be
Enomoto TakeakiViscount was a Japanese Navy admiral faithful to the Tokugawa Shogunate who fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War, but later served in the government as one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-Early life:...
at that time (Navy Minister 1880–1885), a former ally of the French during the Boshin War.
The
Meiji government issued its First Naval Expansion bill in 1882, requiring the construction of 48 warships, of which 22 were to be torpedo boats. The naval successes of the
French NavyThe French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military...
against China in the
Sino-French WarThe Sino-French War was a limited conflict fought between August 1884 and April 1885 to decide whether France should replace China in control of Tonkin . As the French achieved their war aims, they are usually considered to have won the war...
of 1883–85 seemed to validate the potential of torpedo boats, an approach which was also attractive to the limited resources of Japan. In 1885, the new Navy slogan became
Kaikoku Nippon (Jp:海国日本, lit. "Maritime Japan").
In 1885, the leading French Navy engineer
Emile BertinLouis-Émile Bertin was a French naval engineer, one of the foremost of his time, and a proponent of the "Jeune École" philosophy of using light, but powerfully armed warships instead of large battleships.-Early life:...
was hired for four years to reinforce the Japanese Navy and to direct the construction of the arsenals of
Kureis a city located in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 246,118 and a density of 696 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :...
and
Sasebois a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 252,698 and the density of 694 persons per km². The total area is 364 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
. He developed the
Sanseikan class of cruisers; three units featuring a single powerful main gun, the {{convert|320|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} Canet gun. Altogether, Bertin supervised the building of more than 20 units. They helped establish the first true modern naval force of Japan. It allowed Japan to achieve mastery in the building of large units, since some of the ships were imported, and some others were built domestically at the arsenal of
Yokosukais a city located in Kanagawa, Japan.It is located at the mouth of Tokyo Bay in the Miura Peninsula, and the city stretches across the peninsula to Sagami Bay. Its neighbors are Yokohama, Miura, Hayama, and Zushi.-Heian period:...
:
- 3 cruisers: the 4,700 ton {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Matsushima||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Itsukushima||2}}, built in France, and the {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Hashidate||2}}, built at Yokosuka.
- 3 coastal warships of 4,278 tons.
- 2 small cruisers: the {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Chiyoda||2}}, a small cruiser of 2,439 tons built in Britain, and the {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Yaeyama||2}}, 1,800 tons, built at Yokosuka.
- 1 frigate
A frigate is a warship. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and manoeuvrability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
, the 1,600 ton {{Ship|Japanese warship|Takao||2}}, built at Yokosuka.
- 1 destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers .Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels without the endurance...
: the 726 ton {{Ship|Japanese warship|Chishima||2}}, built in France.
- 16 torpedo boats of 54 tons each, built in France by the Companie du Creusot in 1888, and assembled in Japan.
This period also allowed Japan "to embrace the revolutionary new technologies embodied in
torpedoThe modern torpedo is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target...
es, torpedo-boats and
minesA naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of or contact with an enemy ship...
, of which the French at the time were probably the world's best exponents". Japan acquired its first torpedoes in 1884, and established a "Torpedo Training Center" at Yokosuka in 1886.
These ships, ordered during the fiscal years 1885 and 1886, were the last major orders placed with France. The unexplained sinking of {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Unebi||2}}
en route from France to Japan in December 1886, created diplomatic frictions and doubts about the French designs.
British shipbuilding
Japan turned again to Britain, with the order of a revolutionary torpedo boat, {{Ship|Japanese warship|Kotaka||2}} (considered the first ever effective design of a destroyer), in 1887 and with the purchase of {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Yoshino||2}}, built at the
ArmstrongSir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
works in
ElswickElswick is a ward of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in the western part of the borough, bordering the river Tyne. One of the earliest references to the coal mining industry of the north east occurs in 1330, when it was recorded that the Prior of Tynemouth let a colliery, called Heygrove,...
,
Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England...
, the fastest cruiser in the world at the time of her launch in 1892. In 1889, she ordered the
Clyde-builtThe River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
{{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Chiyoda||2}}, which defined the type for
armored cruiserThe armored cruiser, or armoured cruiser , is a type of cruiser, a naval warship. The armored cruiser is protected by a belt of side armor, in addition to the armored deck and protective coal bunkers that define the protected cruiser.Armored cruisers were the chief combatants in two naval...
s.
After 1882 (until 1918, with the visit of the
French Military Mission to JapanThe French Airforce Mission to Japan , was the first foreign military mission to Japan since the 1890s.During the early 20th century, Japan realized it was inexperienced in newer military areas, such as aviation and naval aviation...
), the Imperial Japanese Navy stopped relying on foreign instructors altogether. In 1886, she manufactured her own
prismatic powderBrown powder, often referred as "cocoa powder" due to its color, is an explosive agent similar to black powder, but with a slower burning rate...
, and in 1892 one of her officers invented a powerful explosive, the
Shimose powderShimose powder was a type of gunpowder developed by the Japanese chemist Shimose Masachika . The powder was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1893, and played an important role in the Japanese victory in the 1905 Russo-Japanese War...
.
Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895)
{{main|First Sino-Japanese War}}
Japan continued the modernization of its navy, especially as China was also building a powerful modern fleet with foreign, especially German, assistance, and the pressure was building between the two countries to take control of
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. The
Sino-Japanese warThe First Sino-Japanese War was a war fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over the control of Korea...
was officially declared on 1 August 1894, though some naval fighting had already taken place.
The Japanese navy devastated Qing's
Beiyang FleetThe Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. The navies were heavily sponsored by Li Hongzhang, who was the Viceroy of Zhili. The Beiyang Fleet soon became the dominant navy in East Asia before the onset of First Sino-Japanese War in 1894 - 1895...
off the mouth of the
Yalu RiverThe Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between China and North Korea. The Chinese name comes from a Manchu word meaning "the boundary between two countries"...
at the
Battle of Yalu RiverThe Battle of the Yalu River , also called simply 'The Battle of Yalu' took place on September 17 1894. It involved the Japanese and the Chinese navies, and was the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War...
on 17 September 1894, in which the Chinese fleet lost eight out of 12 warships. Although Japan turned out victorious, the two large German-made battleships of the Chinese Navy remained almost impervious to Japanese guns, highlighting the need for bigger capital ships in the Japanese Navy (
Ting Yuan was finally sunk by torpedoes, and
Chen-Yuan was captured with little damage). The next step of the Imperial Japanese Navy's expansion would thus involve a combination of heavily armed large warships, with smaller and innovative offensive units permitting aggressive tactics.
As a result of the conflict, under the
Treaty of ShimonosekiThe Treaty of Shimonoseki , known as the Treaty of Maguan in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895 between the Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China, ending the First Sino-Japanese War...
(April 17, 1895),
TaiwanTaiwan , also known as Formosa , is the largest island of the Republic of China in East Asia. Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China...
and the Pescadores Islands were transferred to Japan. The Imperial Japanese Navy took possession of the island and quelled opposition movements between March to October 1895, and the islands continued to be a Japanese colony until 1945. Japan also obtained the
Liaodong PeninsulaThe Liáodōng Peninsula is a peninsula in the Liáoníng province of northeastern China, historically known in the west as southern east-Manchuria. Liaodong means "East of the Liáo"...
, although she was forced by Russia to return it to China, only to see Russia take possession of it soon after.
Suppression of the Boxer rebellion (1900)
{{main|Boxer rebellion}}
The Imperial Japanese Navy further intervened in China in 1900, by participating together with Western Powers to the suppression of the Chinese
Boxer RebellionThe Boxer Rebellion, more properly called the Boxer Uprising, or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in Chinese, was a violent anti-imperialism, anti-Christian movement by the "Righteous Fists of Harmony,” Yihe tuan义和团 or Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in China , between 1898 and 1901...
. The Navy supplied the largest number of warships (18 out of a total of 50) and delivered the largest contingent of troops among the intervening nations (20,840 Imperial Japanese Army and Navy soldiers, out of a total of 54,000).
The conflict allowed Japan to enter combat together with Western nations, and to acquire first hand understanding of their fighting methods.
Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)
Following the Sino-Japanese War, and the humiliation of the forced return of the
Liaotung peninsulaThe Liáodōng Peninsula is a peninsula in the Liáoníng province of northeastern China, historically known in the west as southern east-Manchuria. Liaodong means "East of the Liáo"...
to
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
under
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n pressure (the "
Triple InterventionThe was a diplomatic intervention by Russia, Germany, and France on 23 April 1895 over the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki signed between Japan and Qing dynasty China that ended the First Sino-Japanese War.-Treaty of Shimonoseki:...
"),
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
began to build up its military strength in preparation for further confrontations.
Japan promulgated a 10-year naval build-up program, under the slogan "Perseverance and determination" ({{lang|zh|臥薪嘗胆}}, Gashinshōtan), in which it commissioned 109 warships, for a total of 200,000 tons, and increased its Navy personnel from 15,100 to 40,800. The new fleet consisted of:
- 6 battleship
A battleship is a large, heavily armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers or destroyers. There are currently no battleships in service....
s (all British-built)
- 8 armored cruiser
The armored cruiser, or armoured cruiser , is a type of cruiser, a naval warship. The armored cruiser is protected by a belt of side armor, in addition to the armored deck and protective coal bunkers that define the protected cruiser.Armored cruisers were the chief combatants in two naval...
s (4 British-, 2 Italian-, 1 German-built Yakumowas a 1st class armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed and built by the Stettiner Vulcan AG shipyards in Stettin, Germany. The Yakumo was named from a stanza of the Waka by Susanoo in the Japanese mythology.-Background:...
, and 1 French-built Azumawas an armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed and built in France. The name Azuma comes from an ancient name for Japan in general, and the Kantō region of eastern Japan in particular.-Background:...
)
- 9 cruiser
A cruiser is a large type of warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. The first cruisers were intended for individual raiding and protection missions on the seas...
s (5 Japanese, 2 British and 2 U.S.-built)
- 24 destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers .Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels without the endurance...
s (16 British- and 8 Japanese-built)
- 63 torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes...
s (26 German-, 10 British-, 17 French-, and 10 Japanese-built)
One of these battleships, {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Mikasa||2}}, among the most powerful warships afloat when completed, was ordered from the
VickersVickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
shipyard in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
at the end of 1898, for delivery to Japan in 1902. Commercial shipbuilding in Japan was exhibited by construction of the twin screw steamer
Aki-Maru, built for Nippon Yusen Kaisha by the
MitsubishiThe , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
Dockyard & Engine Works, Nagasaki. The Imperial Japanese cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Chitose||2}} was built at the
Union Iron WorksUnion Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
in San Francisco,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
.
These dispositions culminated with the
Russo-Japanese WarThe Russo-Japanese War or the Manchurian Campaign in some English sources, was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
. At the
Battle of TsushimaThe Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was naval history's only decisive sea battle fought by modern steel battleship fleets...
, Admiral Togo (flag in
Mikasa) led the Japanese Combined Fleet into the decisive engagement of the war. The Russian fleet was almost completely annihilated: out of 38 Russian ships, 21 were sunk, seven captured, six disarmed, 4,545 Russian servicemen died and 6,106 were taken prisoner. On the other hand, the Japanese only lost 116 men and three torpedo boats. These victories broke Russian strength in
East AsiaEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically and geo-politically, it covers about , or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang,...
, and triggered waves of mutinies in the Russian Navy at
SevastopolSevastopol is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451...
,
VladivostokVladivostok is Russia's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai. It is situated at the head of the Golden Horn Bay not far from Russia's border with China and North Korea...
and
KronstadtKronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt is a Russian seaport town, located on Kotlin Island, thirty kilometers west of Saint Petersburg near the head of the Gulf of Finland. It is under the administration of the federal city of Saint Petersburg and is also its main port...
, peaking in June with the
Potemkin rising, thereby contributing to the
Russian Revolution of 1905The 1905 Russian Revolution was a wave of mass political unrest through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included terrorism, worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies...
.
During the Russo-Japanese war, Japan also made frantic efforts to develop and construct a fleet of submarines. Submarines had only recently become operational military engines, and were considered to be special weapons of considerable potential.
The Imperial Japanese Navy acquired its first submarines in 1905 from
Electric Boat CompanyGeneral Dynamics/Electric Boat , a division of General Dynamics Corporation, has been the primary builder of submarines for the United States Navy for well over 100 years.The company's main facilities are a shipyard in Groton, Connecticut and a hull-fabrication and outfitting...
, barely four years after the
U.S. NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
had commissioned its own first submarine, {{USS|Holland|SS-1|6}}. The ships were
HollandJohn Philip Holland was an engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the U.S...
designs and were developed under the supervision of Electric Boat's representative,
Arthur L. BuschArthur Leopold Busch or Du Busc was a British-born American naval architect responsible for the development of the United States Navy's first submarines. He was the shipyard superintendent at Lewis Nixon's Crescent Shipyard located in Elizabethport, New Jersey at the turn of the last century...
. These five submarines (known as Holland Type VII's) were shipped in kit form to Japan (October 1904) and then assembled at the Yokosuka, Kanagawa
Yokosuka Naval Arsenalwas one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was located at Yokosuka city, Kanagawa prefecture on Tokyo Bay, south of Yokohama. -History:...
, to become hulls
No1 through
5, and became operational at the end of 1905.
Towards an autonomous national Navy
Japan continued in its efforts to build up a strong national naval industry. Following a strategy of "Copy, improve, innovate", foreign ships of various designs were usually analysed in depth, their specifications often improved on, and then were purchased in pairs so as to organize comparative testing and improvements. Over the years, the importation of whole classes of ships was progressively substituted by local assembly, and then complete local production, starting with the smallest ships, such as torpedo boats and cruisers in the 1880s, to finish with whole battleships in the early 1900s. The last major purchase was in 1913 when the
battlecruiserBattlecruisers were large warships in the first half of the 20th century that were first introduced by the Royal Navy. The battlecruiser was developed as the successor to the armoured cruisers, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleships...
{{Ship|Japanese battleship|Kongō||2}} was purchased from the
VickersVickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
shipyard. By 1918, there was no aspect of shipbuilding technology where Japanese capabilities fell significantly below world standards.
The period immediately after Tsushima also saw the IJN, under the influence of the navalist theoretician
Satō Tetsutarōwas a Japanese military theorist and an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy.-Early career:Born in the Tsuruoka domain, Dewa Province , Satō graduated from the 14th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1887, ranked 5th of 45 cadets. He served as midshipman on the corvette Tsukuba,...
, adopt an explicit policy of building for a potential future conflict against the
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
. Satō called for a battlefleet at least 70% as strong as that of the USA. In 1907, the official policy of the Navy became an '
eight-eight fleetThe was a Japanese naval strategy formulated for the development of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the first quarter of the 20th century, which laid down that the Japanese navy should include eight first-class battleships and eight armoured cruisers or battlecruisers.-History and Development:The...
' of eight modern battleships and eight battlecruisers. However, financial constraints prevented this ideal ever becoming a reality.
By 1920, the Imperial Japanese Navy was the world's third largest navy, and was a leader in many aspects of naval development:
- The Japanese Navy was the first navy in the world to use wireless telegraphy
The term wireless telegraphy is a historic term used today as applied to early radio telegraph communications techniques and practices. Wireless telegraphy originated as a term to describe electrical signaling without the electric wires to connect the end points...
in combat (following its 1897 invention by MarconiMarchese Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, best known for his development of a radiotelegraph system, which served as the foundation for the establishment of numerous affiliated companies worldwide...
), at the 1905 Battle of Tsushima.
- In 1905, it began building the battleship {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Satsuma||2}}, at the time the largest warship in the world by displacement, and the first ship in the world to be designed, ordered and laid down as an "all-big-gun" battleship, about one year before {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}}. She was however finished afterwards and with mixed calibre guns due to a lack of {{convert|305|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} guns.
- Between 1905 and 1910, Japan started to build battleships domestically. The 1906 battleship Satsuma was built in Japan with about 80% parts from Britain, but the next battleship class, the 1910 {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Kawachi||2}} was built with only 20% imported parts.
World War I
{{main|Japan during World War I|Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I}}
Japan entered
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
on the side of the Allies, against Imperial Germany and
Austria-HungaryAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
, as a natural prolongation of the 1902
Anglo-Japanese AllianceThe first was signed in London at what is now the , on January 30 1902, by Lord Lansdowne and Hayashi Tadasu . A diplomatic milestone for its ending of Britain's splendid isolation, the alliance was renewed and extended in scope twice, in 1905 and 1911, before its demise in 1921...
.
In the
Battle of TsingtaoThe Siege of Tsingtao was the attack on the German-controlled port of Tsingtao in China during World War I by Imperial Japan and the United Kingdom....
, the Japanese Navy seized the German naval base of
Tsingtao' , best known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city in eastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west and Rizhao to the southwest. Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea,...
. During the battle, beginning on 5 September 1914,
Wakamiya conducted the world's first successful sea-launched air strikes. from Kiaochow Bay. Four
Maurice FarmanMaurice Alain Farman was a French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator, and an aircraft manufacturer and designer...
seaplanes bombarded German land targets (communication centers and command centers) and damaged a German minelayer in the Tsingtao peninsula from September to 6 November 1914 when the Germans surrendered.
Concurrently, a battle group was sent to the central Pacific in August and September to pursue the German East Asiatic squadron, which then moved into the Southern Atlantic, where it encountered British naval forces and was destroyed at the
Battle of the Falkland IslandsThe Battle of the Falkland Islands was a British naval victory over the Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 during the First World War in the South Atlantic...
. Japan seized former German possessions in
MicronesiaMicronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising hundreds of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines and Indonesia lie to the west....
(the
Mariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
, excluding
GuamGuam is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. The island's capital is Hagåtña...
); the
Caroline IslandsThe Caroline Islands form a large archipelago of widely scattered islands in the western Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
; and the
Marshall IslandsThe Marshall Islands , officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. This nation of roughly 62,000 people is located north of Nauru and...
), which remained Japanese colonies until the end of World War II, under the
League of NationsThe League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members...
'
South Pacific MandateThe was the Japanese League of Nations Mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:...
.
Hard pressed in Europe, where she had only a narrow margin of superiority against
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, Britain had requested, but was denied, the loan of Japan's four newest
Kongō-class battlecruiserThe were designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy by the British designer Sir George Thurston and the first ship, Kongō, was built in Britain by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness in 1913.-Background:...
s (
Kongō, {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}}, and {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}}), the first ships in the world to be equipped with {{convert|356|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} guns, and the most formidable battlecruisers in the world at the time.
Following a further request to contribute to the conflict, and the advent of
unrestricted submarine warfareUnrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchant ships without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules...
by Germany, the Imperial Navy in March 1917 sent a special force of destroyers to the Mediterranean. This force, consisting of one armoured cruiser, {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Akashi||2}}, as
flotilla leaderA flotilla leader was a warship suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer . The flotilla leader provided space, equipment and staff for the flotilla captain, including a wireless room, senior engineering and gunnery...
, and eight of the Navy's newest destroyers ({{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Ume||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Kusunoki||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Kaede||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Katsura||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Kashiwa||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Matsu||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Sugi||2}}, and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Sakaki||2}}), under Admiral Satō Kōzō, was based in
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
and efficiently protected allied shipping between
MarseilleMarseille , formerly known as Massalia , is the 2nd most populous French city as well as the oldest city in France...
,
TarantoTaranto is a coastal city in Puglia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base.It is the third-largest continental city of southern Italy: according to the 2001 census, it has a population of...
, and ports in
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
until the end of the War. In June,
Akashi was replaced by {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Izumo||2}}, and four more destroyers were added (
Kashi,
Hinoki,
Momo, and
Yanagi). They were later joined by the cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Nisshin||2}}. By the end of the war, the Japanese had escorted 788 allied transports. One destroyer,
Sakaki, was torpedoed by an Austrian submarine with the loss of 59 officers and men.
In 1918, ships such as {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Azuma||2}} were assigned to
convoyA convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval convoys have been used for hundreds...
escort in the
Indian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by South Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean...
between
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
and the
Suez CanalThe Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened on November 1869, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigating around Africa...
as part of Japan’s contribution to the war effort under the
Anglo-Japanese allianceThe first was signed in London at what is now the , on January 30 1902, by Lord Lansdowne and Hayashi Tadasu . A diplomatic milestone for its ending of Britain's splendid isolation, the alliance was renewed and extended in scope twice, in 1905 and 1911, before its demise in 1921...
.
After the conflict, the Japanese Navy received seven German submarines as spoils of war, which were brought to Japan and analysed, contributing greatly to the development of the Japanese submarine industry.
Interwar years
In the
years beforeThe interwar period is understood, within recent Western culture, to be the period between the end of the First World War and the beginning of the Second World War. This is also called the period between the wars or interbellum....
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the IJN began to structure itself specifically to fight the United States. A long stretch of
militaristicMilitarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
expansion and the start of the
Second Sino-Japanese warThe Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany and the Soviet Union...
in 1937 had exacerbated tensions with the United States, which was seen as a rival of Japan.
The Imperial Japanese Navy was faced, before and during World War II, with considerable challenges, probably more so than any other navy in the world. Japan, like Britain, was almost entirely dependent on foreign resources to supply its economy. To achieve Japan’s expansionist policies, IJN had to secure and protect distant sources of raw material (especially Southeast Asian oil and raw materials), controlled by foreign countries (Britain, France, and the Netherlands). To achieve this goal, she had to build large warships capable of long range.
This was in conflict with Japan's doctrine of "decisive battle" ({{lang|ja|艦隊決戦}},
Kantai kessenThe was a naval strategy adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy following the Russo-Japanese War. It called on the use of a strong battleship force, which would destroy an invading fleet as it approached Japan after suffering losses through attrition as it penetrated Japanese perimeter defenses.The...
, which did not require long range), in which IJN would allow the U.S. to sail across the Pacific, using submarines to weaken it, then engage the U.S. Navy in a "decisive battle area", near Japan, after inflicting such
attritionAttrition may refer to:*Physical wear*Loss of personnel by Withdrawal *Attrition , the loss of participants during an experiment*Attrition , the loss of tooth structure by mechanical forces from opposing teeth...
. This is in keeping with the theory of Alfred T. Mahan, to which every major navy subscribed before
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in which wars would be decided by engagements between opposing surface fleets (as they had been for over 300 years). Following the dictates of Satō (who doubtless was influenced by Mahan), it was the basis for Japan's demand for a 70% ratio (10:10:7) at the
Washington Naval ConferenceThe Washington Naval Conference also called the Washington Arms Conference, was a military conference called by the administration of President Warren G. Harding and held in Washington, D.C. from 12 November 1921 to 6 February 1922. Conducted outside the auspices of the League of Nations, it was...
, which would give Japan superiority in the "decisive battle area", and the U.S.' insistence on a 60% ratio, which meant parity. Japan, unlike other navies, clung to it even after it had been demonstrated to be obsolete.
It was also in conflict with her past experience. Japan's numerical and industrial inferiority led her to seek technical superiority (fewer, but faster, more powerful ships), qualitative superiority (better training), and aggressive tactics (daring and speedy attacks overwhelming the enemy, a recipe for success in her previous conflicts). She failed to take account of the fact her opponents in the
Pacific WarThe Pacific War was the part of World War II—and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia. The war began as a conflict with the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China on July 7, 1937, but by December 1941, became part of the greater World War II,...
did not face the political and geographical constraints of her previous wars, nor did she allow for losses in ships and crews.
During the interwar, Japan took the lead in many areas of warship development:
- In 1921, it launched the {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hōshō||2}}, the first purpose-designed aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
in the world to be completed, and subsequently developed a fleet of aircraft carriers second to none.
- In keeping with its doctrine, the Imperial Navy was the first navy in the World to mount {{convert|356|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} guns (in Kongō), {{convert|406|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} guns (in {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Nagato||2}}), and the only Navy ever to mount {{converts (in the Yamato-class
The were battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy constructed and operated during World War II. Displacing at full-load, the vessels of the class were the largest, heaviest, and most heavily-armed battleships ever constructed. The class carried the largest naval artillery ever fitted to a...
).
- In 1928, she launched the innovative Fubuki-class
The was a class of twenty four destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Fubuki class has been called "the world's first modern destroyer." The Fubuki class not only set a new standard for Japanese vessels, but for destroyers around the world...
destroyerIn naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers .Before World War II, destroyers were light vessels without the endurance...
, introducing enclosed dual {{convert|127|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} turrets capable of anti-aircraft fire. The new destroyer design was soon emulated by other navies. The Fubukis also featured the first torpedo tubeA torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes in a horizontal direction.There are two main types of torpedo tube:*Those designed to operate below water level, as fitted to submarines and some surface ships...
s enclosed in splinterSplinter may refer to:* a sharp fragment of material, usually wood, metal, or fiberglass, see .* Splinter or Schism , a division of an organization or movement into two, the smaller known as a splinterIt may also refer to:-Music:...
proof turretIn architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s.
- Japan developed the {{convert|610|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} oxygen fuelled Type 93 torpedo
The Type 93 was a 610 mm diameter torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was popularly referred to as the "Long Lance" by most modern English language naval histories, a nickname given postwar by Samuel E. Morison, a historian who spent much of the war in the Pacific theater...
, generally recognized as the best torpedo in the world, to the end of World War II.
By 1921, Japan's naval expenditure reached nearly 32% of the national budget. In 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy possessed 10 battleships, 10 aircraft carriers, 38 cruisers (heavy and light), 112 destroyers, 65 submarines, and various auxiliary ships.
Japan at times continued to solicit foreign expertise in areas in which the IJN was inexperienced, such as naval aviation. In 1918, Japan invited the
French Military Mission to Japan (1918-1919)The French Airforce Mission to Japan , was the first foreign military mission to Japan since the 1890s.During the early 20th century, Japan realized it was inexperienced in newer military areas, such as aviation and naval aviation...
, composed of 50 members and equipped with several of the newest types of airplanes to establish the fundamentals of Japanese naval aviation (the planes were several
Salmson 2The Salmson 2 was a French biplane reconnaissance aircraft made by Salmson. It was developed to a 1916 requirement. Along with the Breguet 14, it was the main reconnaissance aircraft in use with the French army in 1918...
A2,
NieuportNieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company famous for racers before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...
, Spad XIII, two Breguet XIV, as well as Caquot dirigibles). In 1921, Japan hosted for a year and a half the
Sempill MissionThe Sempill Mission was a British aeronaval technical mission led by Captain Sempill and sent to Japan in September 1921, with the objective of helping the Imperial Japanese Navy develop its aeronaval forces...
, a group of British instructors who were able to train and advise the Imperial Japanese Navy on several new aircraft such as the
GlosterThe Gloster Aircraft Company, Limited, known locally as GAC, was a British aircraft manufacturer. The company produced a famous lineage of fighters for the Royal Air Force : the Grebe, Gladiator, Meteor and Javelin. It also produced the Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Typhoon for the parent company...
SparrowhawkThe Gloster Sparrowhawk was a British single seat fighter aircraft of the early 1920's. A development by Gloster Aircraft Company of the earlier Nieuport Nighthawk fighter, 50 aircraft were built by Gloster for the Imperial Japanese Navy, with a further 40 being assembled in Japan, being operated...
, and on various techniques such as torpedo bombing and flight control.
During the pre-war years, two schools of thought battled over whether the Navy should be organized around powerful battleships, ultimately able to defeat American ones in Japanese waters, or around aircraft carriers. Neither really prevailed, and both lines of ships were developed, with the result neither solution displayed overwhelming strength over the American adversary. A consistent weakness of Japanese warship development was the tendency to incorporate too much armament, and too much engine power, in comparison to ship size (a side-effect of the Washington Treaty), leading to shortcomings in stability, protection and structural strength. This was a failing of Japanese naval architects, reflecting her industrial and engineering weakness.
World War II
{{main|Imperial Japanese Navy of World War II}}
The Imperial Japanese Navy of World War II was administered by the
Ministry of the Navy of JapanThe was the cabinet-level ministry from 1872-1945 in charge with administration of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-History:The Navy Ministry was created in April 1872, along with the Army Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Affairs of the early Meiji government.Initially, the Navy Ministry...
and controlled by the Chief of the
Imperial Japanese Navy General StaffThe was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.-History:...
at
Imperial General HeadquartersThe as part of the Supreme War Council was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime...
. In order to combat the numerically superior American navy, the IJN devoted large amounts of resources to creating a force superior in quality to any navy at the time. Consequently, at the beginning of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Japan probably had the most sophisticated Navy in the world. Betting on the agile success of aggressive tactics (stemming from Mahanian doctrine and the lure of "decisive battle"), Japan did not invest significantly on defensive organization: she needed to protect her long shipping lines against enemy submarines, which she never managed to do, particularly under-investing in the vital role of antisubmarine warfare (both escort ships and escort carriers), and in the specialized training and organization to support it.
IJN enjoyed spectacular success during the first part of the hostilities, but American forces ultimately managed to gain the upper hand through technological upgrades to its air and naval forces and a vastly greater industrial output. Japan's reluctance to use their
submarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability...
fleet for commerce raiding and failure to secure their communications also hastened her defeat. During the last phase of the war, the Imperial Japanese Navy resorted to a series of desperate measures, including a variety of
Special Attack UnitsDuring World War II, , also abbreviated to 特攻隊, tokkōtai), also called shimbu-tai by the Imperial Japanese Army, were specialized units normally used for suicide missions...
(popularly called
kamikazeThe were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
).
Battleships
Japan continued to attribute considerable prestige to
battleshipA battleship is a large, heavily armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest caliber of guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers or destroyers. There are currently no battleships in service....
s and endeavoured to build the largest and most powerful ships of the period. {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}}, the largest and most heavily-armed battleship in history, was launched in 1941.
The second half of World War II saw the last battleship duels. In the
Battle of GuadalcanalThe Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th,or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place between November 12 and November 15, 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a...
on 15 November 1942, the U.S. battleships {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|6}} and {{USS|Washington|BB-56|2}} fought and destroyed the Japanese battlecruiser {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}}, but only after
South Dakota had sustained heavy damage. In the
Battle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and also one of the largest naval battles in history.It was fought in waters near the...
on 25 October 1944 six battleships, led by Rear Admiral
Jesse OldendorfJesse Bartlett "Oley" Oldendorf was an admiral in the United States Navy, famous for defeating a Japanese force in the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II....
of the U.S. 7th Fleet fired upon and claimed credit for sinking Vice Admiral
Shoji Nishimurawas an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.-Biography:Nishimura was from Akita prefecture in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. He was a graduate of the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1911, ranking 21st out of 148 cadets. As a midshipman, he served on...
's battleships {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Yamashiro||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Fusō||2}} during the Battle of Surigao Strait; in fact, both battleships were fatally crippled by destroyer attacks before being brought under fire by Oldendorf's old battleships.
Nevertheless, the
Battle off SamarThe Battle off Samar was the central action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which was one of the largest naval battles in history. As the only major action in the larger battle where the Americans were largely unprepared against the opposing forces, it has been cited by historians as one of the...
on 25 October 1944 during the
Battle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and also one of the largest naval battles in history.It was fought in waters near the...
showed battleships could still be useful. Only the indecision of Vice Admiral
Takeo KuritaVice Admiral was a vice-admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.-Early life:Kurita was born in Mito city, Ibaraki Prefecture in 1889. His name, Takeo means "warrior". He was sent off to Etajima in 1905 and graduated from the 38th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in...
and the fight by American destroyers and
destroyer escortA Destroyer Escort is the classification for a small, slow warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II...
s saved the American escort carriers of "Taffy 3" from destruction by the gunfire of
Yamato,
Kongō,
Haruna, and
Nagato and their cruiser escort. Miraculously for the Americans, only one escort carrier, two destroyers, and one destroyer escort were lost in this action.
Ultimately, the maturity of air power spelled doom for the battleship. Battleships in the Pacific ended up primarily performing shore bombardment and anti-aircraft defense for the carriers.
Yamato and {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Musashi||2}} were sunk by air attacks long before coming in gun range of the American fleet. As a result of the changing technology, plans for even larger battleships, such as the Japanese Super Yamato class battleship, were cancelled.
Aircraft carriers
In the 1920s, the {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Kaga||2}} (originally laid down as a battleship) and a similar ship, the {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}} (originally laid down as a battlecruiser) were converted to aircraft carriers to satisfy the terms of the
Washington Naval TreatyThe Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, limited the naval armaments of its five signatories: the United States of America, the British Empire, the Empire of Japan, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The treaty was agreed at the Washington Naval...
.
From 1935-1938,
Akagi and
Kaga received extensive rebuilds to improve their aircraft handling capacity. Japan put particular emphasis on
aircraft carrierAn aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s. The Imperial Japanese Navy started the
Pacific WarThe Pacific War was the part of World War II—and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia. The war began as a conflict with the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China on July 7, 1937, but by December 1941, became part of the greater World War II,...
with 10 aircraft carriers, the largest and most modern carrier fleet in the world at that time. There were seven American aircraft carriers at the beginning of hostilities, only three operating in the Pacific; and eight British aircraft carriers, of which a single one operated in the Indian Ocean. The IJN's two {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shōkaku||2}}-class carriers were superior to any carrier in the world, until the wartime appearance of the American
EssexEssex was a class of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy, which constituted the 20th century's most numerous class of heavy warships, with 24 ships built in both "short-hull" and "long-hull" versions. Thirty-two were originally ordered, however six were canceled before construction, and two...
-class. A large number of these Japanese carriers were of small size, however, in accordance with the limitations placed upon the Navy by the London and Washington Naval Conferences.
Following the
Battle of MidwayThe Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and seven months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
, in which four Japanese fleet carriers were sunk, the Japanese Navy suddenly found itself short of fleet carriers (as well as trained aircrews), resulting in an ambitious set of projects to convert commercial and military vessels into escort carriers, such as the {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiyō||2}}. Another conversion project, {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Shinano||2}}, was based on an incomplete
Yamato-class super battleship and became the largest-displacement carrier of World War II. The IJN also attempted to build a number of fleet carriers, though most of these projects were not completed by the end of the war. One exception being the {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Taihō||2}}, which was the only Japanese carrier with an armored flight deck and first to incorporate a closed hurricane bow.
Naval aviation
{{main|Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service}}
Japan began the war with a highly competent naval air force designed around some of the best airplanes in the world: the
A6M ZeroThe Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The origin of its official designation was that "A" signified a carrier-based fighter, "6" for the sixth such model built for the Imperial Navy, and "M" for the manufacturer,...
was considered the best carrier aircraft of the beginning of the war, the
Mitsubishi G3MThe Mitsubishi G3M was a Japanese bomber used during World War II, mostly against the Chinese.-Design and development:...
bomber was remarkable for its range and speed, and the
Kawanishi H8KThe Kawanishi H8K was an Imperial Japanese Navy flying boat used during World War II for maritime patrol duties...
was the world's best flying boat. The Japanese pilot corps at the beginning of the war were of high caliber as compared to their contemporaries around the world due to intense training and frontline experience in the
Sino-Japanese WarThe Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany and the Soviet Union...
. The Navy also had a competent tactical bombing force based around the Mitsubishi G3M and
G4MThe Mitsubishi G4M or 一式陸攻 Ichishiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II...
bombers, which astonished the world by being the first planes to sink enemy capital ships underway, claiming battleship
Prince of WalesThe sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action.The action took...
and the battlecruiser
RepulseThe sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action.The action took...
.
As the war dragged on, the Allies found weaknesses in Japanese naval aviation. Though most Japanese aircraft were characterized by great operating ranges, they had very little in the way of defensive armament and armor. As a result, the more numerous, heavily armed and armored American aircraft were able to develop techniques that nullified the advantages of the Japanese aircraft. Although there were delays in engine development, several new competitive designs were developed during the war, but industrial weaknesses, lack of raw materials and disorganization due to Allied bombing raids hampered their mass-production. Furthermore, the IJN didn't have an efficient process for rapid training of aviators, as two years of training were usually considered necessary for a carrier flyer. Therefore, they weren't able to effectively replace seasoned pilots lost through attrition following their initial successes in the Pacific campaign. The IJN pilots' later inexperience was especially evident during the
Battle of the Philippine SeaThe Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II, and the largest aircraft carrier battle in history. It was fought between the navies of the United States and the Empire of Japan...
, when their aircraft were shot down in droves by the American naval pilots in what the Americans later called the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". Following the
Battle of Leyte GulfThe Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and also one of the largest naval battles in history.It was fought in waters near the...
, the Japanese Navy increasingly opted towards deploying aircraft in the
kamikaze role.
Towards the end of the conflict, several competitive plane designs were developed, such as the 1943
ShidenThe Kawanishi N1K Kyōfū was an Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane fighter. The Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden was an Imperial Japanese Navy land-based version of the N1K...
, but such planes were produced too late and in insufficient numbers (415 units for the
Shiden) to affect the outcome of the war. Radical new plane designs were also developed, such as the
canardIn aeronautics, canard is an airframe configuration of fixed-wing aircraft in which the horizontal stabilizer is ahead of the main wing, rather than behind them as in conventional aircraft empennage....
design
ShindenThe Kyūshū J7W1 Shinden fighter was a World War II Japanese propeller-driven aircraft prototype that was built in a canard design. The wings were attached to the tail section and stabilizers were on the front. The propeller was also in the rear, in a pusher configuration...
, and especially jet-powered aircraft such as the Nakajima
Kikka and the rocket-propelled
Mitsubishi J8MThe Mitsubishi J8M Shūsui was a Japanese World War II rocket-powered interceptor aircraft closely based on the German Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet.-Design and development:The J8M1 was intended to be a licence-built copy of the Messerschmitt...
. These jet designs were partially based on technology received from Nazi Germany, usually in the form of a few drawings only,
Kikka being based on the
Messerschmitt Me 262The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. It was produced in World War II and saw action starting in 1944 as a multi-role fighter/bomber/reconnaissance/interceptor warplane for the Luftwaffe.The Me 262 claimed a total of 509 Allied kills ...
and the J8M on the
Messerschmitt Me 163The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Martin Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It was the only operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft to date. It was a revolutionary design, capable of performance unrivaled at the time.Messerschmitt test pilot Rudy Opitz...
), so Japanese manufacturers had to play a key role in the final engineering. These developments also happened too late in the conflict to have any influence on the outcome. The
Kikka only flew once before the end of the war.
Submarines
{{main|Imperial Japanese Navy submarines}}
Japan had by far the most varied fleet of submarines of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, including manned torpedoes (
KaitenThe Kaiten The Kaiten The Kaiten , midget submarines (
Ko-hyotekiThe class was a class of Japanese midget submarines used during World War II. They had hull numbers but no names. For simplicity, they are most often referred to by the hull number of the mother submarine. Thus, the midget carried by I-16 was known as "the I-16 midget"...
,
KairyuThe was a class of midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed in 1943–1944, and produced from the beginning of 1945. These submarines were meant to meet the invading American naval forces upon their anticipated approach of Tokyo.-History:...
), medium-range submarines, purpose-built supply submarines (many for use by the Army), long-range fleet submarines (many of which carried an aircraft), submarines with the highest submerged speeds of the conflict (
Senkou I-200The I-201-class submarines were submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. These submarines were of advanced design, built for high underwater speed, and were known as Senkou...
), and submarines that could carry multiple bombers (World War II's largest submarine, the
Sentoku I-400The Sen Toku I-400-class submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy were the largest submarines of World War II, and remained the largest ever built prior to the development of nuclear ballistic missile submarines in the 1960s. They were submarine aircraft carriers able to carry three Aichi M6A...
). These submarines were also equipped with the most advanced torpedo of the conflict, the
Type 95 torpedoThe Type 95 torpedo was a torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Based on the formidable Type 93 torpedo , the Type 95 had a smaller warhead, less range and a smaller diameter, and intended to be fired from a standard 533mm torpedo tube of a submerged submarine...
, a {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} version of the famous {{convert|610|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} Type 93.
A plane from one such long-range fleet submarine,
I-25, conducted what is still the only aerial bombing attack on the continental United States when Warrant Flying Officer
Nobuo FujitaNobuo Fujita was a Warrant Flying Officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy who flew a floatplane from a long-range submarine aircraft carrier, the I-25, and conducted the only wartime aircraft-dropped bombing on the continental United States, which became known as the Lookout Air Raid...
attempted to start massive forest fires in the Pacific Northwest outside the town of
BrookingsBrookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber and Box Company, which founded the city in 1908. The population was 5,447 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, Brookings had a population of over 6,455 within the city...
,
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
on September 9, 1942. Other submarines undertook trans-oceanic missions to German-occupied Europe, such as {{Ship|Japanese submarine|I-30||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese submarine|I-8||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese submarine|I-34||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese submarine|I-29||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese submarine|I-52||2}}, in one case flying a Japanese
seaplaneA seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories: floatplanes and flying boats...
over France in a propaganda coup. In May 1942,
Type AThe class was a class of Japanese midget submarines used during World War II. They had hull numbers but no names. For simplicity, they are most often referred to by the hull number of the mother submarine. Thus, the midget carried by I-16 was known as "the I-16 midget"...
midget submarines were used in the
Attack on Sydney HarbourIn late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia...
, and the
Battle of MadagascarThe Battle of Madagascar was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May, 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November.-Background:...
.
Overall, despite their technical prowesses, Japanese submarines were relatively unsuccessful. They were often used in offensive roles against warships (
per Mahanian doctrine), which were fast, maneuverable and well-defended compared to merchant ships. In 1942, Japanese submarines managed to sink two fleet carriers, one cruiser, and a few destroyers and other warships, and damage several others. They were not able to sustain these results afterwards, as Allied fleets were reinforced and started using better anti-submarine tactics. By the end of the war, submarines were instead often used to transport supplies to island garrisons. During the war, Japan managed to sink about 1 million tons of merchant shipping (184 ships), compared to 1.5 million tons for Britain (493 ships), 4.65 million tons for the US (1079 ships) and 14.3 million tons for Germany (2,840 ships).
Early models were not very maneuverable under water, could not dive very deep, and lacked
radarRadar is an object detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR was coined in 1941 as an acronym for RAdio Detection And...
. Later in the war, units fitted with radar were in some instances sunk due to the ability of US radar sets to detect their emissions. For example, {{USS|Batfish|SS-310|6}} sank three such in the span of four days. After the end of the conflict, several of Japan's most original submarines were sent to Hawaii for inspection in "Operation Road's End" (
I-400The Sen Toku I-400-class submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy were the largest submarines of World War II, and remained the largest ever built prior to the development of nuclear ballistic missile submarines in the 1960s. They were submarine aircraft carriers able to carry three Aichi M6A...
,
I-401,
I-201The I-201-class submarines were submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. These submarines were of advanced design, built for high underwater speed, and were known as Senkou...
and
I-203) before being scuttled by the U.S. Navy in 1946 when the Soviets demanded access to the submarines as well.
Special Attack Units
{{main|Japanese Special Attack Units}}
At the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, numerous
Special Attack UnitsDuring World War II, , also abbreviated to 特攻隊, tokkōtai), also called shimbu-tai by the Imperial Japanese Army, were specialized units normally used for suicide missions...
(Japanese: 特別攻撃隊,
tokubetsu kōgeki tai, also abbreviated to 特攻隊,
tokkōtai) were developed for suicide missions, in a desperate move to compensate for the annihilation of the main fleet. These units included
KamikazeThe were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
("Divine Wind") bombers,
Shinyo ("Sea Quake") suicide boats,
KairyuThe was a class of midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed in 1943–1944, and produced from the beginning of 1945. These submarines were meant to meet the invading American naval forces upon their anticipated approach of Tokyo.-History:...
("Sea Dragon") suicide
midget submarineA midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s,
KaitenThe Kaiten The Kaiten The Kaiten suicide torpedoes, and
FukuryuSuicide divers were a part of the Special Attack Units prepared to resist the invasion of the Home islands by Allied forces. They were armed with a mine containing 15 kilograms of explosive, fitted to a 5 meter bamboo pole. They would dive and stick the pole into the hull of an enemy ship,...
("Crouching Dragon") suicide scuba divers who would swim under boats and use explosives mounted on bamboo poles to destroy both the boat and themselves.
Kamikaze planes were particularly effective during the defense of Okinawa, in which 1,465 planes were expended to damage around 250 American warships.
A considerable number of Special Attack Units were built and stored in coastal hideouts for the desperate defense of the Home islands, with the potential to destroy or damage thousands of enemy warships.
Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces
Imperial Japanese Navy Land ForcesImperial Japanese Navy Land Forces of World War II originated with the Special Naval Landing Forces, and eventually consisted of the following:...
of World War II originated with the Special Naval Landing Forces, and eventually consisted of the following:
- Special Naval Landing Force or Rikusentai or kaigun rikusentai or Tokubetsu Rikusentai: the Japanese Marines
- The Base Force or Tokubetsu Konkyochitai provided services, primarily security, to naval facilities
- Defence units or Bobitai or Boei-han: detachments of 200 to 400 men.
- Guard forces or Keibitai: detachments of 200–500 men who provide security to Imperial Japanese Navy facilities
- Pioneers or Setsueitai built naval facilities, including airstrips, on remote islands.
- Naval Civil Engineering and Construction Units, or Kaigun Kenchiku Shisetsu Butai
- The Naval Communications Units or Tsushintai of 600–1,000 men to provide basic naval communications and also handled encryption and decryption.
- The Tokkeitai Navy military police
Military police are normally the police of a military organization.Military police may refer to:* a section of the military solely responsible for policing the armed forces...
units were part of the naval intelligence armed branch, with military police regular functions in naval installations and occupied territories; they also worked with the Imperial Japanese ArmyThe Imperial Japanese Army , or literally Army of the Empire of Greater Japan was the official ground based armed force of Imperial Japan from 1867 to 1945...
's KempeitaiThe was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945. It was not an English-style military police, but was a French-style gendarmerie...
military police, the Keishicho civil police and Tokko', often shortened to ' was a police force established in 1911 in Japan, specifically to investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to public order....
secret units in security and intelligence services.
Bases
- Atsugi Naval Air Base - now Naval Air Facility Atsugi
is a naval air base located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy air base in the Pacific Ocean and houses the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 5, which deploys with the aircraft carrier USS George Washington...
operated by Japan Maritime Self-Defense ForceThe , or JMSDF, is the maritime branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II. It has a large fleet with significant blue-water operating capabilities. The force is based...
and US Navy
- Kure Naval Base - now Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of the post-World War II US occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the forces were confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed abroad. In...
facilitiy and museum
- Maizuru Naval Base
- Maizuru Naval District
was one of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the entire Sea of Japan coastline from northern Kyūshū to western Hokkaidō.-History:...
- now Japan Self-Defense ForcesThe , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of the post-World War II US occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the forces were confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed abroad. In...
facility and museum
- Hiroshima Naval Base
Dockyards
- Yokosuka Dockyards
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was located at Yokosuka city, Kanagawa prefecture on Tokyo Bay, south of Yokohama. -History:...
- now US NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
Yokosuka Ship Repair Facility and United States Fleet Activities YokosukaU.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, or Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka is a United States Navy base, in Yokosuka, Japan. Its mission is to maintain and operate base facilities for the logistic, recreational, administrative support and service of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, U.S. 7th Fleet and...
- Ishikawajima Naval Yard (Sumida River) - now IHI Corporation shipyard
- Kure Naval Dockyards
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands along with the establishment of the...
- now Universal Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard owned by JFE Holdings and Hitachi Zosen Corporationis a major Japanese industrial and engineering corporation. It produces waste treatment plants, industrial plants, precision machinery, industrial machinery, steel mill process equipment, steel structures, construction machinery, tunneling machines, and power plants...
- Sasebo Naval Dockyards
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Sasebo Naval District was established at Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1886, as the third of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands. After the establishment of the...
- Maizuru Naval Dockyards
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Maizuru Naval District was established at Maizuru, Kyoto in 1889, as the fourth of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands. After the establishment of the...
Colleges and Training Facilities
- Nagasaki Training Station
- Tsukiji Naval College, Yedo
- Tsukiji Naval College
- Tokyo Naval Cadet Academy
Other
This is a list of facilities outside of Japan and under Japanese control:
- Takeshiki (in Tsushima)
- Mekong (Pescadores)
- Ominato
- Alicante Naval Air Base, Negros, Visayas
- Amboina Naval Air Base
- Anibong Point Leyte
- Bacolod, Negros, Visayas
- Ballale, Fauro Island, Solomon Islands
- Bonis, Bougainville, Solomon Islands
- Buka Island, Solomon Islands
- Gasmata
- Kahili, Bougainville
- Kanoya
- Kara, Bougainville, Solomon Islands
- Kavieng
- Kendari
- Lae Lae
- Lahug, Cebu
The City of Cebu , is the capital city of Cebu and the second city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan center in the Philippine Islands, and known as the oldest city in the country....
, PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
- Madang, New Guinea
- Munda, New Georgia, Solomon Islands
- Rabaul Naval Base
- Singapore Navak Base and Airfield, Malaya Singapore
- Palembang Airfield
- Peleliu Airfield, Palau Islands
- Saigon Airfield
- San Jose Airfield
- Saravia Airfield, Negros, Visayas
- Thudaumot Airfield
- Tuluvu Airfield, New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago
- Vila Airfield, Kolombangara, Solomon Islands
- Wewak Airfield, New Guinea, South West Pacific
- Camranh Bay Naval Anchorage, Indo China
- Faisi Naval Anchorage, Shortland Islands
- Lingga Roads Naval Anchorage, Malacca Strait
- Mako Naval Anchorage, Pescadores
- Samah Harbour, Naval Anchorage, Hainan Island, South East Asia
- Tawi Naval Anchorage, Sulu
- Tonolei Naval Anchorage, Bougainville
- Palau Islands Naval Base
- Saipan Naval Base, Mariana Islands
- Kwajalein Atoll Naval Base (Submarine), Marshall Islands
- Taiwan Naval Base
- Truk Islands Naval Base
- Buka Island Seaplane Base, Solomon Islands
- Rekata Bay
Rekata Bay, also known as Suavanau, is a bay located on the northeast coast of Santa Isabel Island in the Solomon Islands between Santa Isabel and Papatura Island.-References:*...
Seaplane Base, Santa Isabel IslandSanta Isabel Island is the longest in the Solomon Islands, South Pacific, and the largest in Isabel Province.Choiseul lies to the west, Malaita to the east...
- Shortland Islands Seaplane Base
- Tulagi Seaplane Base, Solomon Islands
Self-Defense Forces
{{main|Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force}}
Following Japan's surrender to the
AlliesIn general, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose. In English usage, those who share a common goal and whose work toward that goal is complementary may be viewed as allies for various purposes even when...
at the conclusion of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and Japan's subsequent occupation, Japan's entire imperial military was dissolved in the new 1947
constitutionThe has been the founding legal document of Japan since 1947. The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights. Under its terms the Emperor of Japan is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people" and exercises a purely...
which states, "The Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes." Japan's current navy falls under the umbrella of the
Japan Self-Defense ForcesThe , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of the post-World War II US occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the forces were confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed abroad. In...
(JSDF) as the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense ForceThe , or JMSDF, is the maritime branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II. It has a large fleet with significant blue-water operating capabilities. The force is based...
(JMSDF).
{{IJN}}
See also
- Naval history of Japan
The naval history of Japan can be said to begin in early interactions with states on the Asian continent in the early centuries of the 1st millennium, reaching a pre-modern peak of activity during the 16th century, a time of cultural exchange with European powers and extensive trade with the Asian...
- Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau
The Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan was responsible for the development and training of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service...
- Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces
The Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces , were the marine troops of the Imperial Japanese Navy and were a part of the IJN Land Forces...
- Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces
Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces of World War II originated with the Special Naval Landing Forces, and eventually consisted of the following:...
- Imperial Japanese Navy Armor Units
This is a list of Imperial Japanese Navy armored units that were equipped with Type 89 Chi-Ro Medium Tank, Type 95 Ha-Go Light Tank, Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank and the Type 2 Ka-Mi Amphibious Tank.*Shanghai SNLF Tank Company...
- Tokeitai
The was the Imperial Japanese Navy's military police, they were equivalent to the Imperial Japanese Army's Kempeitai. They were also the smallest military police service....
- Navy Military Police
- Imperial Japanese Navy fuel
While other navies used highly refined burner oil, in the last stages of World War II the Imperial Japanese Navy was directly using high quality crude oil obtained from the captured East Indian colonial possessions of the Netherlands and France...
- List of Japanese Navy ships and warvessels in World War II
- "Strike South"
The was a political doctrine in the pre-World War II Empire of Japan which stated that Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands were Japan's sphere of interest and that the potential value to the Japanese Empire for economic and territorial expansion in those areas was greater than elsewhere.This...
Doctrine
- Fleet Faction
The was an unofficial and informal political faction within the Imperial Japanese Navy in the 1920s-1930s of officers opposed to the conditions imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty.-Background:...
– Navy political group
- Treaty Faction
The was an unofficial and informal political faction within the Imperial Japanese Navy in the 1920s-1930s of officers supporting the Washington Naval Treaty.-Background:...
– Navy political group
- May 15 Incident
The ' was an attempted coup d'état in Japan, on 15 May 1932, launched by radical elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy, aided by cadets in the Imperial Japanese Army and civilian remnants of the League of Blood Incident. Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated by 11 young naval officers...
– coup d'état with Navy support
- Imperial Way Faction
The was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army, active in the 1920s and 1930s and largely supported by junior officers aiming to establish a military government, that promoted totalitarian, militarist, and expansionist ideals...
- Japanese nationalism
encompasses a broad range of ideas and sentiments harbored by the Japanese people over the last two centuries regarding their native country, its cultural nature, political form and historical destiny. It is useful to distinguish Japanese cultural nationalism from political or state-directed...
- Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors
The was issued by Emperor Meiji of Japan on 4 January 1882. It was the most important document in the development of the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy.-Details:...
- Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
The was a school established to train officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima in 1888...
- Admiral of the Fleet (Japan)
was the highest rank in the prewar Imperial Japanese Navy. The term gensui was used for both the Navy and the Imperial Japanese Army, and was a largely honorific title awarded for extremely meritorious service to the Emperor. In the Meiji period, the title was awarded to 5 generals and 3 admirals...
- Marshal (Japan)
{{IJNFoundation}}
External links
{{Commonscat|Imperial Japanese Navy}}