Making the plans

The original plan of the war with the United States, worked out in 1930s by the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff, foresaw that the navy would "wait" for approaching American fleet just like it happened with the Russian fleet in 1905. Some hopes were put in weakening the enemy force through air and submarine attacks from the outlying Japanese islands. But the fates of the campaign would be decided in a coveted general battle, in which the decisive role would be on the artillery of the Japanese battleships, and aircraft-carriers would be assigned to auxiliary tasks. More >>>