Imperial Japanese Navy and President of Cyprus: Difference between pages

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{{featuredPolitics articleof Cyprus}}

The President of [[Cyprus]] is the country's [[head of state]]. The position was created in [[1960]], after [[Cyprus]] gained its independence from the [[United Kingdom]]. Currently, the president of [[Cyprus]] is [[Tassos Papadopoulos]].

::''For [[Combined Fleet]], please see that article.''

{{Infobox Military Unit

|unit_name=<big>Imperial Japanese Navy</big><br><big>(IJN)</big><br><big>大日本帝國海軍</big><br><small>''(Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun)''</small><br>

|image=[[Image:Naval Ensign of Japan.svg|300px]]

|caption=[[Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy]] and [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]].

|dates=[[1869]]-[[1947]]

|country= [[Empire of Japan]]

|allegiance= Empire of Japan

|branch=[[Combined Fleet]]<br>[[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]]<br>[[Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces]]

|type=[[Navy]]

|role=

|size=

|command_structure=

|current_commander=

|garrison=

|ceremonial_chief=

|colonel_of_the_regiment=

|nickname=

|patron=

|motto=

|colors=

|march=

|mascot=

|identification_symbol=<center>[[Image:Imperial Seal of Japan.svg|70px]]<br><small>[[Imperial Seal of Japan]] and Seal of the Imperial Japanese Navy</small></center>

|battles=[[First Sino-Japanese War]] <br>[[Russo-Japanese War]] <br>[[World War I]] <br>[[World War II]]

|notable_commanders=[[Isoroku Yamamoto]]<br>[[Togo Heihachiro]]<br>[[Hiroyasu Fushimi]]<br>[[List of Japanese naval commanders|and many others]]

|anniversaries=

}}

After the [[1974]] [[coup d'état]] of [[Nikos Sampson]], [[Turkey]] invaded Northern [[Cyprus]]; in [[1983]], the Turks created and recognized the [[de facto]] state [[Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]]. Consequently, the [[President]] of [[Cyprus]] has not ruled the northern one-third of the island since 1974.

The '''Imperial Japanese Navy''' ('''IJN''') ([[Kyūjitai|{{unicode|Kyūjitai}}]]: 大日本帝國海軍 [[Shinjitai]]: 大日本帝国海軍 ''{{Audio|ja-Dai-Nippon_teikoku_kaigun.ogg|Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun}}'' or 日本海軍 ''Nippon Kaigun''), officially '''Navy of Empire of Greater Japan''', also known as the '''Japanese Navy''' was the [[Navy]] of the [[Empire of Japan]] from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional [[Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan|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 [[United States Navy]] and [[Royal Navy]],<ref>Evans, Kaigun</ref> and perhaps the most modern at the brink of [[World War II]]. It was supported by [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]] for aircraft and airstrike operation from the fleet.

==List of presidents==

The [[origin]]s of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with [[nations]] on the [[Asia|Asian continent]], beginning in the early [[history of Japan#Feudal Japan|medieval period]] and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of [[cultural diffusion|cultural exchange]] with [[Europe]]an [[power (international)|power]]s during the [[Age of Discovery]]. After two centuries of stagnation during the country's ensuing [[Sakoku|seclusion policy]] under the [[shogun]]s of the [[Edo period]], Japan's Navy was comparatively backward when the country was forced open to trade by [[Convention of Kanagawa|American intervention]] in 1854. This eventually led to the [[Meiji Restoration]]. Accompanying the re-ascendance of the [[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]] came a period of frantic [[modernization]] and [[industrialization]]. The navy's history of successes, sometimes against much more powerful foes as in the 1895 [[First Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese war]] and the 1905 [[Russo-Japanese War]], ended in almost complete annihilation during the concluding days of [[World War II]]. The [[IJN]] was officially dissolved in 1945.

* [[Makarios III|Archbishop Makarios]] ([[1960]]-[[1974]])

* [[Nikos Sampson]] ([[1974]]) ''the coup d'état-installed [[dictator]] who overthrew Makarios in 1974''

* [[Glafcos Clerides]] ([[1974]]) ''Acting President''

* [[Makarios III|Archbishop Makarios]] ([[1974]]-[[1977]])

* [[Spyros Kyprianou]] ([[1977]]-[[1988]])

* [[George Vasiliou]] ([[1988]]-[[1993]])

* [[Glafcos Clerides]] ([[1993]]-[[2003]])

* [[Tassos Papadopoulos]] ([[2003]]-''[[present day]]'')

==OriginsLatest election==

{{Cyprus presidential election, 2003}}

{{main|Naval history of Japan}}

[[Image:DanNoUra.jpg|thumb|Naval battle of [[Battle of Dan-no-ura|Dan-no-Ura]] in 1185]]

{{gov-stub}}

Japan has a long history of naval interaction with the Asian continent, involving transportation of troops between [[Korea]] and Japan, starting at least with the beginning of the [[Kofun era|Kofun period]] in the 3rd century.

{{Cyprus-stub}}

[[Category:Cyprus-related lists]]

[[Category:Presidents of Cyprus| ]]

Following the attempts at [[Mongol invasions of Japan]] by [[Kublai Khan|Kubilai Khan]] in 1281, Japanese "[[Wokou|Wakō]]" [[pirate]]s became very active in [[plunder]]ing the coast of the [[History of China#The Chinese Empire|Chinese Empire]].

[[es:Presidente de Chipre]]

[[Japan]] undertook major naval building efforts in the 16th century, during the [[Sengoku period|Warring States period]], 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 [[Ironclad warship|ironclad]] warships, when [[Oda Nobunaga]], a [[Japan]]ese [[daimyo]], had six iron-covered [[Atakebune|Oatakebune]] made in 1576.<ref>''THE FIRST IRONCLADS'' In Japanese: [http://s-mizoe.hp.infoseek.co.jp/m160.html], [http://www12.plala.or.jp/k-hakuyo/index_ship/ship_9/3000.htm]. Also in English: [http://www.samurai-archives.com/mth.html]: ''"Iron clad ships, however, were not new to Japan and Hideyoshi; [[Oda Nobunaga]], in fact, had many iron clad ships in his fleet."'' (referring to the anteriority of Japanese ironclads (1578) to the Korean [[Turtle ship]]s (1592)). In Western sources, Japanese ironclads are described in CR Boxer "The Christian Century in Japan 1549&ndash;1650", p122, quoting the account of the Italian Jesuit Organtino visiting Japan in 1578. Nobunaga's ironclad fleet is also described in "A History of Japan, 1334&ndash;1615", Georges Samson, p309 ISBN 0-8047-0525-9. Korea's "ironclad Turtle ships" were invented by Admiral [[Yi Sun-sin]] (1545&ndash;1598), and are first documented in 1592. Incidentally, Korea's iron plates only covered the roof (to prevent intrusion), and not the sides of their ships. The first Western ironclads date to 1859 with the French [[FS La Gloire (1858-1883)|''Gloire'']] ("Steam, Steel and Shellfire").</ref> In [[1588]], [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] issued a ban on Wakō piracy; the pirates then became vassals of Hideyoshi, and comprised the naval force used in the [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598)|Japanese invasion of Korea]].

[[id:Presiden Siprus]]

[[Image:RedSealShip.JPG|thumb|left|A 1634 Japanese [[Red seal ship]], combining eastern and western naval technologies]]

[[sv:Lista över Cyperns presidenter]]

[[zh:塞浦路斯總統]]

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 period]]. In 1613, the Daimyo of [[Sendai, Miyagi|Sendai]], in agreement with the [[Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa]] [[Shogun|Bakufu]], built [[Japanese warship San Juan Bautista|''Date Maru'']], a 500 ton [[galleon]]-type ship that transported the Japanese embassy of [[Hasekura Tsunenaga]] to the Americas, which then continued to Europe. From 1604, about 350 [[Red seal ship]]s, usually armed and incorporating some Western technologies, were also commissioned by the Bakufu, mainly for [[Southeast Asia]]n trade.

From 1640, Japan chose the policy of [[Sakoku]] (seclusion), which forbade contacts with the West, eradicated [[Christianity]], and prohibited the construction of ocean-going ships on pain of death.

The study of Western [[shipbuilding]] techniques resumed in the 1840s during the [[Late Tokugawa shogunate]] ("Bakumatsu"). In 1853 and 1854, [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] Commodore [[Matthew Perry (naval officer)|Matthew Perry]] 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 Kanagawa]]. This was soon followed by the 1858 "[[Unequal Treaties|unequal]]" [[U.S.-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce]], which allowed the establishment of foreign concessions, extra-territoriality for foreigners, and minimal import taxes for foreign goods.

[[Image:Kanrinmaru.jpg|thumb|[[Japanese warship Kanrin Maru|''Kanrin Maru'']], Japan's first screw-driven steam warship, 1857]]

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 Center]]. In 1857, it acquired its first screw-driven steam warship, the [[Japanese warship Kanrin Maru|''Kanrin Maru'']]. Naval students were sent to study in Western naval schools for several years, such as the future Admiral [[Enomoto Takeaki|Takeaki Enomoto]] (who studied in the [[Netherlands]] from 1862&ndash;1867), starting a tradition of foreign-educated future leaders such as Admirals [[Togo Heihachiro|Heihachiro Togo]] and, later, [[Isoroku Yamamoto]]. In 1865, the French naval engineer [[Léonce Verny]] was hired to build Japan's first modern naval arsenals, at [[Yokosuka, Kanagawa|Yokosuka]] and [[Nagasaki]].

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 [[Japanese battleship Kaiyō Maru|''Kaiyō Maru'']], which were used against pro-imperial forces during the [[Boshin War]], under the command of Admiral Enomoto. The conflict culminated with the [[Naval Battle of Hakodate]] 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.

==Creation of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1869)==

[[Image:Stonewall-Kotetsu.jpg|thumb|''[[Kotetsu]]'' (ex-CSS ''Stonewall''), Japan's first modern [[Ironclad warship|ironclad]], 1869]]

From 1868, the restored [[Emperor Meiji|Meiji Emperor]] 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 (also known as the Army-Navy Ministry) was established, with [[Iwakura Tomomi]], [[Shimazu Tadayoshi]] and [[Prince Komatsu Akihito|Prince Komatsu-no-miya Akihito]] as the First Secretaries. On [[26 March]] [[1868]], the first Naval Review was held in Japan (in [[Osaka Bay]]), with 6 ships from the private domainal navies of [[Saga]], [[Chōshū]], [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]], [[Kurume]], [[Kumamoto]] and [[Hiroshima]] participating. The total tonnage of these ships was 2252 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 War]].

In 1871, the private domainal navies were abolished, and their 11 ships were added to the 7 surviving vessels of the defunct Tokugawa ''bakufu'' navy to form the core of the new Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1872, the Ministry of Military Affairs was replaced by a separate Army Ministry and Navy Ministry. In October 1873, [[Katsu Kaishu]] 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.

===First interventions abroad (Taiwan, Korea)===

[[Image:KanfadoKantai.jpg|thumb|350px|The Imperial Japanese Navy, in [[Pusan]], on its way to [[Ganghwa Island]] (江華島), [[Korea]], January 16th, [[1876]]. There were 2 warships (''Nisshin'', ''[[Japanese warship Moshun|Moshun]]''), 3 troop transports, and one liner for the embassy led by [[Kuroda Kiyotaka]].]]

During 1873, a plan to invade the [[Korean peninsula]] was narrowly abandonned by decision of the central government in Tokyo. In 1874, the [[Taiwan Expedition of 1874|Taiwan expedition]] was the first forray abroad of the new Imperial Japanese Navy, as well as the [[Imperial Japanese Army]]. Various interventions in the Korean peninsula continued in 1875-1876, around the [[Ganghwa Island]] incident (江華島事件), leading to the [[Treaty of Ganghwa]] and the official opening of Korea to foreign trade, Japan's first example of Western-style interventionism, and adoption of [[Unequal treaties]] tactics.

Soon however, domestic rebellions, especially the [[Satsuma Rebellion]] (1877) forced the government to focus on land warfare. Naval policy, expressed by the slogan ''Shusei Kokubō'' (Jp:守勢国防, lit. "Static Defense"), focused on coastal defenses, a standing army, and a coastal Navy, leading to a military organization under the ''Rikushu Kaijū'' (Jp:陸主海従, Army first, Navy second) principle.

===British support===

[[Image:DaiNipponTeikokuKaigun.jpg|thumb|120px|[[Chinese characters|Kanji]] for "Imperial Japanese Navy"]]

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 Glover]] was launched at [[Aberdeen]], [[Scotland]] on [[March 27]], [[1869]]. In 1870, an Imperial decree determined that [[United Kingdom|Britain]]'s [[Royal Navy]] should be the model for development. Ships such as the [[Japanese ironclad warship Fusō|''Fusō'']], [[Japanese corvette Kongō (1877)|''Kongō'']] and the [[Japanese corvette Hiei (1877)|''Hiei'']] were built in British shipyards specifically for the Imperial Japanese Navy. A British naval mission visited Japan in 1873, headed by Comdr. [[Archibald Lucius Douglas|Archibald Douglas]]. Later, Comdr. [[L.P. Willan]] was hired in 1879 to train naval cadets. Private construction companies such as [[Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries|Ishikawajima]] and [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.|Kawasaki]] also emerged around this time.

Two large warships were ordered from British shipyards. [[Japanese cruiser Naniwa|''Naniwa'']] and the [[Japanese cruiser Takachiho|''Takachiho'']] were 3,650-ton ships. They were capable of speeds up to 18&nbsp;knots (33&nbsp;km/h) and were armed with 2 to 3-inch deck armor and two 10.2-in (260&nbsp;mm) [[Krupp]] guns. The naval architect Sasō Sachū designed these on the line of the [[Elswick]] class of [[protected cruisers]] but with superior specifications. An [[arms race]] was taking place with [[China]] however, who equipped herself with two German-built [[battleship]]s of 7,335 tons ([[Dingyuan|''Ting Yüan'']] and [[Zhenyuan|''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)===

[[Image:Matsushima(Bertin).jpg|thumb|The French-built ''Matsushima'', flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy at the [[Battle of Yalu River (1894)|Battle of Yalu River]] (1894).]]

During the 1880s, France took the lead in influence, due to its "[[Jeune Ecole]]" ("young school") doctrine favoring small, fast warships, especially [[Cruiser (warship)|cruiser]]s and [[torpedo boat]]s, against bigger units. 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 Navy]] against China in the [[Sino-French 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 [[Louis-Emile Bertin|Emile Bertin]] was hired for four years to reinforce the Japanese Navy and to direct the construction of the arsenals of [[Kure, Hiroshima|Kure]] and [[Sasebo, Nagasaki|Sasebo]]. He developed the ''Sanseikan'' class of cruisers; 3 units featuring a single powerful main gun, the 12.6in (320mm) [[Canet gun]]. Altogether, Bertin supervised the building of more than twenty 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 [[Yokosuka, Kanagawa|Yokosuka]]:

* 3 cruisers: the 4,700 ton [[Japanese cruiser Matsushima|''Matsushima'']] and [[Japanese cruiser Itsukushima|''Itsukushima'']], built in France, and the [[Japanese cruiser Hashidate|''Hashidate'']], built at Yokosuka.

* 3 coastal warships of 4,278 tons.

* 2 small cruisers: the [[Japanese cruiser Chiyoda|''Chiyoda'']], a small cruiser of 2,439 tons built in Britain, and the [[Japanese cruiser Yaeyama|''Yaeyama'']], 1800 tons, built at Yokosuka.

* 1 [[frigate]], the 1600 ton [[Japanese warship Takao|''Takao'']], built at Yokosuka.

* 1 [[destroyer]]: the 726 ton [[Japanese warship Chishima|''Chishima'']], 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 [[torpedo]]es, torpedo-boats and [[Naval mine|mines]], of which the French at the time were probably the world's best exponents"<ref> Howe, p281</ref>. 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 the ''[[Japanese cruiser Unebi|Unebi]]'' in route from France to Japan in December [[1886]], created diplomatic frictions and doubts about the French designs.

[[Image:Kotaka.jpg|thumb|The torpedo-boat [[Japanese warship Kotaka|''Kotaka'']] (1887)]]

Japan turned again to Britain, with the order of a revolutionary torpedo boat, the 1887 ''Kotaka'', which is considered the first ever effective design of a destroyer<ref>Peattie & Evans, ''Kaigun'', p17</ref>, and with the purchase of the ''[[Japanese cruiser Yoshino|Yoshino]]'', built at the [[Armstrong Whitworth|Armstrong]] works in [[Elswick]], [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], the fastest cruiser in the world at the time of her launch in 1892.<ref>"Her armament of twelve quick-firing guns was formidable for her size, and her 23-knot speed made her the fastest cruiser in the world"''ibid.''</ref>

==Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)==

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 [[Korea]]. The [[First Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese war]] was officially declared on [[August 1]], [[1894]], though some naval fighting had already taken place.

[[Image:NisshinBattle.jpg|thumb|Video footage of a naval battle during the first Sino-Japanese war<ref>Video footage of the Sino-Japanese war: [http://www2.open.ed.jp/real/15655/01.mp2 Video (external link)].</ref>]]

The Japanese navy devastated Qing's [[Beiyang Fleet]] off the mouth of the [[Yalu River]] at the [[Battle of Yalu River (1894)|Battle of Yalu River]] on [[September 17]] [[1894]], in which the Chinese fleet lost 8 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 ([[Dingyuan|''Ting Yuan'']] was finally sunk by torpedoes, and [[Zhenyuan|''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 Shimonoseki]] (April 17th, 1895), [[Taiwan]] 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 Peninsula]], although she was forced by Russia to return it to China, only to see Russia take possession of it soon after.

The Imperial Japanese Navy further intervened in China in 1900, by participating together with Western Powers to the suppression of the Chinese [[Boxer Rebellion]]. The Navy supplied the largest number of warships (18, out of a total of 50 warships), and delivered the largest contingent of Army and Navy troops among the intervening nations (20,840 soldiers, out of total of 54,000).

{{multi-video start}}

{{multi-video item|filename=Naval battle.ogg|title=IJN Naval battle|description=Video footage of a naval battle during the [[First Sino-Japanese war]] (1894)|format=[[Theora]]}}

{{multi-video end}}

==Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)==

[[Image:JBMikasa.jpg|right|thumb|''Mikasa'', the most powerful battleship of her time, in 1905.]]

Following the Sino-Japanese War, and the humiliation of the forced return of the [[Liaodong Peninsula|Liaotung peninsula]] to [[China]] under [[Russia]]n pressure (the "[[Triple Intervention]]"), [[Japan]] began to build up its military strength in preparation for further confrontations.

Japan promulgated a ten-year naval build-up program, under the slogan "Perseverance and determination" (Jp: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]]s (all British-made)

* 8 [[armored cruiser]]s (4 British, 2 Italian, 1 German, and 1 French-made)

* 9 [[cruiser]]s (5 Japanese, 2 British and 2 US-made)

* 24 [[destroyer]]s (16 British and 8 Japanese-made)

* 63 [[torpedo boat]]s (26 German, 10 British, 17 French, and 10 Japanese-made)

[[Image: ADMIRALTOGO.JPG|thumb|Admiral [[Togo Heihachiro|Togo]] at the age of 58, at the time of the [[Russo-Japanese War]].]]

One of these battleships, [[Japanese battleship Mikasa|''Mikasa'']], the most advanced ship of her time,<ref>Evans ''Kaigun'', p60-61</ref> was ordered from the [[Vickers]] shipyard in the [[United Kingdom]] 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 [[Mitsubishi]] Dockyard & Engine Works, [[Nagasaki]]. The imperial Japanese cruiser [[Japanese cruiser Chitose|''Chitose'']] was built at the [[Union Iron Works]] in [[San Francisco]], [[California]].

These dispositions culminated with the [[Russo-Japanese War]] (1904&ndash;1905). At the [[Battle of Tsushima]], Admiral [[Togo Heihachiro|Togo]] onboard ''Mikasa'' led the combined Japanese fleet into what has been called "the most decisive naval battle in history".<ref>Corbett ''Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War'', 2:333</ref> The Russian fleet was almost completely annihilated: out of 38 Russian ships, 21 were sunk, 7 captured, 6 disarmed, 4,545 Russian servicemen died and 6,106 were taken prisoner. On the other hand, the Japanese only lost 116 men and 3 torpedo boats. These victories broke Russian strength in [[East Asia]], and triggered waves of mutinies in the Russian Navy at [[Sevastopol]], [[Vladivostok]] and [[Kronstadt]], peaking in June with the [[Battleship Potemkin uprising]], thereby contributing to the [[Russian Revolution of 1905]].

[[Image:JapanFirstSubmarines.jpg|thumb|left|Japan's first fleet of submarines (''No1'' to ''No5'', all [[John Philip Holland|Holland]] designs), in the [[Review (disambiguation)|Naval Review]] of October 1905.]]

During the Russo-Japanese war, Japan also made frantic efforts to have 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 the United States [[Electric Boat Corporation|Electric Boat Company]], barely four years after the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] had commissioned its own first submarine, [[USS Holland (SS-1)|USS ''Holland'']]. The ships were [[John Philip Holland|Holland]] designs. They were shipped in kit to Japan and then assembled at the [[Yokosuka, Kanagawa|Yokosuka]] Naval Yard, 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",<ref>Howe, p284</ref> 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 [[battlecruiser]] [[Japanese battleship Kongō|''Kongō'']] was purchased from the [[Vickers]] shipyard. By 1918, there was no aspect of shipbuilding technology where Japanese capabilities fell significantly below world standards.<ref>Howe, p268</ref> By 1920, the Imperial Japanese Navy was the world's third largest navy, and was a leader in many aspects of naval development:

[[Image:IJN Satsuma.jpg|thumb|''Satsuma'', the first ship in the world to be designed and laid down as an "[[HMS Dreadnought (1906)|all-big-gun]]" battleship]]

* The Japanese Navy was the first navy in the world to use [[wireless telegraphy]] in combat (following its 1897 invention by [[Guglielmo Marconi|Marconi]]), at the 1905 Battle of Tsushima.<ref>Evans, ''Kaigun'', p84</ref>

* In 1906, it launched the battleship [[Japanese battleship Satsuma|''Satsuma'']], 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 the British [[HMS Dreadnought (1906)|HMS ''Dreadnought'']].<ref>"Laid down before ''Dreadnought'' and intended to carry 12-inch guns, she should have been completed as the world's first all-big-gun battleship. However, there were not enough Armstrong 1904 pattern 12-inch guns available, and 10-inch guns|had to be substituted for all but four of the weapons. Thus it was that future all-big gun battleships were to be called "dreadnoughts", and not "satsumas"." Jane's "Battleships of the 20th century", p68</ref>

* 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 [[Japanese battleship Kawachi|''Kawachi'']] was built with only 20% imported parts.

==World War I==

Japan entered [[World War I]] on the side of the Allies, against Germany and Austria, as a natural prolongation of the 1902 [[Anglo-Japanese Alliance]]. After the [[Battle of Tsingtao]], an Anglo-Japanese siege, the Japanese Navy seized the German naval base of [[Qingdao|Tsingtao]] on the [[Shandong Peninsula|Shantung peninsula]] in China, in November 1914. 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 Islands]]. Japan seized the former possessions of Germany in [[Micronesia]] on this occasion (the [[Mariana Islands]] (excluding [[Guam]]), [[Caroline Islands]] and [[Marshall Islands]]), which remained Japanese colonies until the end of World War II, under the [[League of Nations]]' [[South Pacific Mandate]].

[[Image:NisshinMalta.jpg|thumb|Japanese armoured cruiser ''[[Japanese cruiser Nisshin|Nisshin]]'' in the [[Mediterranean]] ([[Malta]], 1919).]]

Hard pressed in Europe, where it had only a narrow margin of superiority against [[Germany]], Britain had requested, but was denied, the loan of Japan's four newest ''Kongō''-class battleships ([[Japanese battleship Kongō|''Kongō'']], [[Japanese battleship Hiei|''Hiei'']], [[Japanese battleship Haruna|''Haruna'']], [[Japanese battleship Kirishima|''Kirishima'']]), the first ships in the world to be equipped with 14-inch (356&nbsp;mm) guns, and the most advanced capital ships in the world at the time of their launch.<ref>"when completed, the most formidable and most superbly designed capital ships in the world" Evans, ''Kaigun'', p161</ref>

Following further request to contribute to the conflict, and the advent of unrestricted German submarine warfare from 1917, the Imperial Japanese Navy sent a special force of destroyers to the Mediterranean in March 1917. The fleet, consisting of one armoured cruiser, ''[[Japanese cruiser Nisshin|Nisshin]]'', and eight of the Navy's newest destroyers under Admiral Satō Kōzō, was based in [[Malta]] and efficiently protected allied shipping between [[Marseille]]s, [[Taranto]] and ports in [[Egypt]] until the end of the War. One destroyer, ''[[Sakaki]]'', was torpedoed by an Austrian submarine with the loss of 59 officers and men.

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.<ref>Evans, ''Kaigun'', p212</ref>

==Interwar years==

In the years before [[WWII]] the IJN began to structure itself specifically to fight the United States. A long stretch of [[militarism|militaristic]] expansion and the start of the [[Second Sino-Japanese war]] in 1937 had alienated the United States, and the country was seen as a rival of Japan.

[[Image:Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho.jpg|thumb|left|[[Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho|''Hosho'']], the first purpose-designed [[aircraft carrier]] in the world to be completed (1922)]]

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.<ref>Lyon ''World War II warships'' p34</ref> 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, the United States and [[Netherlands#Naming conventions|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" (a doctrine that did not require long range),<ref>Peattie & Evans, ''Kaigun''.</ref> in which IJN would allow the U.S. to sail across the Pacific, using submarines to weaken it, then force a battle against the U.S. in a "decisive battle area", near Japan, after inflicting such attrition.<ref>Miller, Edward S. ''War Plan Orange''. Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute Press, 1991.</ref> This is in keeping with the theory of [[Alfred T. Mahan]], a doctrine to which every major navy subscribed before [[World War Two]], in which wars would be decided by engagements between opposing surface fleets<ref>Mahan, Alfred T. ''Influence of Seapower on History, 1660-1783''. Boston: Little, Brown.</ref> (as they had been for over 300 years). It was the basis for Japan's demand for a 70% ratio (10:10:7) at the [[Washington Naval Conference]], which would give Japan superiority in the "decisive battle area", and the U.S.'s insistence on a 60% ratio, which meant parity.<ref>Miller, ''op. cit.''</ref> 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 War]] did not face the political and geograpical constraints of her previous wars, nor did she allow for losses in ships and crews.<ref>Peattie & Evans, ''op. cit.'', and Willmott, H. P.,''The Barrier and the Javelin''. Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute Press, 1983.</ref>

[[Image:Fubuki.jpg|thumb|Japan's innovative ''[[Fubuki class destroyer|Fubuki]]''-class [[destroyer]] (1928), introducing enclosed turrets capable of anti-aircraft fire and the 24-inch (610&nbsp;mm) oxygen fuelled [[Type 93 torpedo]], was a design later emulated by other navies.]]

During the interwar, Japan therefore took the lead in many areas of warship development:

* In 1921 it launched the [[Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō|''Hōshō'']], the first purpose-designed [[aircraft carrier]] in the world to be completed, and subsequently developed a fleet of aircraft carriers second to none.

* In keeping with its belief in big-gun action, the Imperial Japanese Navy was the first navy to mount 14-in (356&nbsp;mm) guns (with the ''[[Japanese battleship Kongō|Kongō]]''), 16-in (406&nbsp;mm) guns (with the ''[[Japanese battleship Nagato|Nagato]]''), and the only Navy ever to mount [[18.1"/45|18.1-in (460&nbsp;mm) guns]] (with the ''[[Japanese battleship Yamato|Yamato]]'').

* In 1928, it launched the innovative ''[[Fubuki class destroyer|Fubuki]]''-class [[destroyer]], introducing enclosed turrets capable of anti-aircraft fire and the 24-inch (610&nbsp;mm) oxygen fuelled Type 93 torpedo. The new destroyer design was soon emulated by other navies.

* Japan developed the oxygen fuelled [[Type 93 torpedo|Type 93]] "Long Lance" torpedo, generally recognized as the best torpedo in the world, down to the end of World War II (Westwood, ''Fighting Ships'').

Japan sometimes continued to solicit foreign expertise in areas where she needed to catch up with the West: in 1921 she welcomed for a year and a half the [[Sempill Mission]], a group of British aeronaval instructors who trained the Imperial Japanese Navy on several new aircraft, such as the [[Gloster Aircraft Company|Gloster]] [[Gloster Sparrowhawk|Sparrowhawk]], and 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 that could ultimately win over American ones in Japanese waters, or around an aggressive fleet of aircraft carriers. Neither really prevailed, and both lines of ships were developed, with the results that 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.<ref>Lyon ''World War II warships'' p35</ref> This was a failing of Japanese [[naval architects]], reflecting her industrial and engineering weakness.

==World War II==

The [[Imperial Japanese Navy of World War Two|Imperial Japanese Navy in World War Two]] was administered by the [[Ministry of the Navy of Japan]] and controlled by the Chief of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff]] at [[Imperial General Headquarters]]. 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 II]], Japan probably had the most sophisticated Navy in the world.<ref>Howe, p286</ref> Betting on the speedy 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 aircraft carrier]]s), and in the specialized training and organization to support it.<ref>Parillo, Mark. ''Japanese Merchant Marine in World War 2''. Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute Press, 1993.</ref>"

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 stronger industrial output. Japan's reluctance to use their [[submarine]] fleet for commerce raiding and failure to secure their communications also added to their defeat. During the last phase of the war the Imperial Japanese Navy resorted to a series of desperate measures, including a variety of [[Japanese Special Attack Units|Special Attack Units]] (popularly called ''[[kamikaze]]'').

===Battleships===

[[Image:Yamatotrials.jpg|thumb|right|[[Japanese battleship Yamato|''Yamato'']], the largest [[battleship]] in history, in 1941.]]

Japan continued to attribute considerable prestige to [[battleship]]s and endeavoured to build the largest and most powerful ships of the period. [[Japanese battleship Yamato|''Yamato'']], 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 [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal|Battle of Guadalcanal]] on [[November 15]] [[1942]], the United States battleships [[USS South Dakota (BB-57)|''South Dakota'']] and [[USS Washington (BB-56)|''Washington'']] fought and destroyed the Japanese battleship [[Japanese battleship Kirishima|''Kirishima'']]. In the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] on [[25 October]] [[1944]] six battleships, led by Admiral [[Jesse B. Oldendorf|Jesse Oldendorf]] of the [[U.S. 7th Fleet]] fired upon and claimed credit for sinking Admiral [[Shoji Nishimura]]'s battleships [[Japanese battleship Yamashiro|''Yamashiro'']] and [[Japanese battleship Fusō|''Fusō'']] 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 Samar]] on [[25 October]] [[1944]] during the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] showed that battleships could still be useful, albeit inefficient weapons. Only the indecision of Admiral [[Takeo Kurita]] and the fight by American destroyers and [[destroyer escort]]s saved the American aircraft carriers of "[[Taffy 3]]" from being pounded to the bottom by the gunfire of ''Yamato'', ''[[Japanese battleship Kongō|Kongō]]'', ''Haruna'', and ''[[Japanese battleship Nagato|Nagato]]'' and their cruiser escort. Miraculously for the Americans, only [[USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)|USS ''Gambier Bay'']], along with two destroyers and one destroyer escort, were lost in this action. ''Yamato'', for all the expense of building her, failed to score even a single hit.

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 [[Japanese battleship Musashi|''Musashi'']] 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|Super ''Yamato'' class]], were cancelled.

===Aircraft carriers===

[[Image:Shinano.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano|Shinano]]'', the largest [[aircraft carrier]] of World War II.]]

Japan put particular emphasis on [[aircraft carrier]]s. The Imperial Japanese Navy started the [[Pacific War]] 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 the hostilities, only three of them operating in the Pacific; and three British aircraft carriers, of which a single one operated in the Indian Ocean. The IJN's two [[Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku|''Shōkaku'']]-class carriers were superior to any carrier in the world, until the wartime appearance of the American [[Essex class aircraft carrier|''Essex''-class aircraft carrier]].<ref>"In many ways the Japanese were in the forefront of carrier design, and in 1941, the two ''Shōkakus'' &mdash; the culmination of prewar Japanese design &mdash; were superior to any carrier in the world then in commission" Evans, ''Kaigun'' p323</ref> However, a large number of the Japanese carriers were of small size, in accordance to limitations placed upon the Navy by the London and Washington Naval Conferences.

However, following the [[Battle of Midway]], in which four Japanese carriers were sunk, the Japanese Navy suddenly found itself short of fleet carriers, resulting in an ambitious set of projects to convert commercial and military vessels into escort carriers, such as the [[Japanese aircraft carrier Hiyō|''Hiyō'']]. Another conversion project, [[Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano|''Shinano'']], was based on an incomplete ''Yamato''-class super battleship and became the largest aircraft 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.

===Naval aviation===

{{main|Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service}}

[[Image:Carrier_shokaku.jpg|thumb|right|Planes from the Japanese aircraft carrier [[Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku|''Shokaku'']] preparing the attack on [[attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]].]]

Japan began the war with a highly competent naval air force designed around some of the best airplanes in the world: the [[A6M Zero|Zero]] was considered the best carrier aircraft of the beginning of the war, the [[Mitsubishi G3M]] bomber was remarkable for its range and speed, and the [[Kawanishi H8K]] was world's best flying boat.<ref>"For speed and maneuverability, for example the Zero was matchless; for range and speed few bombers surpassed the Mitsubishi G3M, and in the Kawanishi H8K, the Japanese navy had the world's best flying boat" Evans, ''Kaigun'', p312</ref> 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 [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese War]].<ref>"by 1941, by training and experience, Japan's naval aviators were undoubtedly the best among the world's three carrier forces" Evans, ''Kaigun'', p325</ref> The Navy also had a competent tactical bombing force based around the Mitsubishi G3M and [[Mitsubishi G4M|G4M]] bombers, which astonished the world by being the first planes to sink enemy battleships underway, claiming [[Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse|''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'']].

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 Sea]], 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 Gulf]], the Japanese Navy increasingly opted towards deploying aircraft in the ''kamikaze'' role.

[[Image:Kikka.jpg|thumb|Japan's first jet-powered aircraft, the Imperial Japanese Navy's [[Nakajima Kikka]] (1945).]]

Towards the end of the conflict, several competitive plane designs were developed, such as the 1943 [[Kawanishi N1K-J|Shiden]], 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 [[Canard (aeronautics)|canard]] design [[Kyūshū J7W|''Shinden'']], and especially jet-powered aircraft such as the [[Nakajima Kikka|Nakajima ''Kikka'']] and the rocket-propelled [[Mitsubishi J8M]]. 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 262]] and the J8M on the [[Messerschmitt Me 163]]), 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.

<br clear=all>

===Submarines===

[[Image:I-400.jpg|thumb|An Imperial Japanese Navy's ''[[I-400 class submarine]]'', the largest submarine type of World War II.]]

{{main|Imperial Japanese Navy submarines}}

Japan had by far the most varied fleet of [[submarines]] of [[World War II]], including manned torpedoes (''[[Kaiten]]''), midget submarines ([[Ko-hyoteki class submarine|''Ko-hyoteki'']], [[Kairyu class submarine|''Kairyu'']]), 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 ([[I-200 class submarine|''Senkou I-200'']]), and submarines that could carry multiple bombers (WWII's largest submarine, the [[I-400 class submarine|''Sentoku I-400'']]). These submarines were also equipped with the most advanced torpedo of the conflict, the Type 95 torpedo, a 21" (533mm) version of the famous 24" (61cm) Type 91.

A plane from one such long-range fleet submarine, ''[[I-25 (submarine)|I-25]]'', conducted what is still the only aerial bombing attack on the continental United States when Warrant Flying Officer [[Nobuo Fujita]] attempted to start massive forest fires in the Pacific Northwest outside the town of [[Brookings, Oregon]] on September 9th, 1942. Other submarines undertook trans-oceanic missions to German-occupied Europe, such as [[Japanese submarine I-30|''I-30'']], [[Japanese submarine I-8|''I-8'']], [[Japanese submarine I-34|''I-34'']], [[Japanese submarine I-29|''I-29'']] and ''[[Japanese submarine I-52|I-52]]'', in one case flying a Japanese [[seaplane]] over France in a propaganda coup.<ref>''Japanese submarines'', p70</ref> In May 1942, [[Ko-hyoteki class submarine|Type A]] midget submarines were used in the [[Attack on Sydney Harbour]], and the [[Battle of Madagascar]].

[[Image:I-8Brest.jpg|thumb|Submarine ''[[Japanese submarine I-8|I-8]]'' in [[Brest, France|Brest]], [[France]] in 1943.]]

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){{Fact|date=February 2007}} and 14.3 million tons for Germany (2840 ships).

Early models were not very maneuverable under water, could not dive very deep, and lacked [[radar]]. 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)|''Batfish'']] (SS-310) 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-400 class submarine|''I-400'']], ''I-401'', [[I-200 class submarine|''I-201'']] 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===

[[Image:Kamikaze zero.jpg|right|thumb|A [[kamikaze]] [[A6M Zero|Mitsubishi Zero]], about to hit the [[USS Missouri (BB-63)|USS ''Missouri'']].]]

{{main|Japanese Special Attack Units}}

At the end of the [[Second World War]], numerous [[Japanese Special Attack Units|Special Attack Units]] (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 ''[[Kamikaze]]'' ("Divine Wind") bombers, ''[[Shinyo]]'' ("Sea Quake") suicide boats, ''[[Kairyu class submarine|Kairyu]]'' ("Sea Dragon") suicide [[midget submarine]]s, ''[[Kaiten]]'' ("Turn of Heaven") suicide [[torpedoes]], and ''[[Fukuryu]]'' ("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 1465 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.

{{See also|Imperial Japanese Navy of World War Two}}

==Self-Defense Forces==

[[Image:japanese_sailors_jmsdf.jpg|thumb|Japanese Sailors beside the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] (JMSDF) training vessel JDS Kashima, in [[Pearl Harbor]], May 4, 2004.]]

{{main|Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force}}

Following Japan's surrender to the [[Allies]] at the conclusion of [[World War II]], and Japan's subsequent occupation, Japan's entire imperial military was dissolved in the new 1947 [[Constitution of Japan|constitution]] 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 Forces]] (JSDF) as the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] (JMSDF).

<br clear=all>

{{IJN}}

==References==

{{Commonscat|Imperial Japanese Navy}}

*Boxer, C.R. (1993) "The Christian Century in Japan 1549&ndash;1650", ISBN 1-85754-035-2

*{{cite book

| last = D'Albas

| first = Andrieu

| authorlink =

| year = 1965

| title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II

| publisher = Devin-Adair Pub

| ___location =

| id = ISBN 0-8159-5302-X

}}

*Delorme, Pierre, ''Les Grandes Batailles de l'Histoire, Port-Arhur 1904'', Socomer Editions (French)

*Dull, Paul S. (1978) ''A Battle History of The Imperial Japanese Navy'' ISBN 0-85059-295-X

*Evans, David C & Peattie, Mark R. (1997) ''Kaigun: strategy, tactics, and technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887&ndash;1941'' Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland ISBN 0-87021-192-7

*Gardiner, Robert (editor) (2001) ''Steam, Steel and Shellfire, The Steam Warship 1815&ndash;1905'', ISBN 0-7858-1413-2

*{{cite book

| last = Hara

| first = Tameichi

| authorlink = Tameichi Hara

| coauthors =

| year = 1961

| chapter =

| title = Japanese Destroyer Captain

| publisher = [[Ballantine Books]]

| ___location = New York & Toronto

| id = ISBN 0-345-27894-1

}}

*Howe, Christopher (1996) ''The origins of Japanese Trade Supremacy, Development and technology in Asia from 1540 to the Pacific War'', The University of Chicago Press ISBN 0-226-35485-7

*Ireland, Bernard (1996) ''Jane's Battleships of the 20th Century'' ISBN 0-00-470997-7

*{{cite book

| last = Lacroix

| first = Eric

| authorlink =

| coauthors = Linton Wells

| year = 1997

| chapter =

| title = Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War

| publisher = Naval Institute Press

| ___location =

| id = ISBN 0-87021-311-3

}}

*Lyon, D.J. (1976) ''World War II warships'', Excalibur Books ISBN 0-85613-220-9

*Nagazumi, Yōko (永積洋子) ''Red Seal Ships (朱印船)'', ISBN 4-642-06659-4 (Japanese)

* {{cite book

| last = Seki

| first = Eiji

| coauthors =

| year = 2007

| title = Sinking of the SS Automedon And the Role of the Japanese Navy: A New Interpretation

| publisher = University of Hawaii Press

| ___location =

| id = ISBN 1905246285

}}

*Tōgō Shrine and Tōgō Association (東郷神社・東郷会), ''Togo Heihachiro in images, illustrated Meiji Navy'' (図説東郷平八郎、目で見る明治の海軍), (Japanese)

*''Japanese submarines'' 潜水艦大作戦, Jinbutsu publishing (新人物従来社) (Japanese)

==See also==

{{ImperialJapaneseMilitary}}

* [[Naval history of Japan]]

* [[Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau]]

* [[Giretsu special forces operations]]

* [[Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces]]

* [[Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces]]

* [[Imperial Japanese Navy Armor Units]]

* [[Tokei Tai]]-Navy Military Police

* [[Imperial Japanese Navy fuel]]

* [[List of Japanese Navy ships and warvessels in World War II]]

* [["Strike South" Group]]

* [[Nanshin-ron]] Doctrine (Japanese Navy s conquest policy)

* [[Fleet Faction]] &mdash; Navy political group

* [[Treaty Faction]] &mdash; Navy political group

* [[May 15 Incident]] &mdash; coup d'etat with Navy support

* [[Imperial Way Faction]]

* [[Japanese nationalism]]

* [[The Japanese Navy Taiwan and South Pacific Mandate political project]]

* [[Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors]]

* [[Imperial Japanese Naval Academy]]

* [[Admiral of the Fleet (Japan)]]

* [[List of Japanese Navy officers (WWII)]]

==Notes==

<div class="references-small"><references/></div>

== External links ==

* [http://www2.memenet.or.jp/kinugawa/ship/2300.htm Nobunaga's ironclad navy]

* [http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/index.htm Hiroshi Nishida's IJN site]

* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/ Imperial Japanese Navy Page]

* [http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/kamikaze/museums/etajima/index.htm Etajima Museum of Naval History]

* [http://www.jda.go.jp/JMSDF/info/event/cm_p/16cm.html JSDF video commercial]

* [http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/kamikaze/writings/books/ugaki/index.htm ''Fading Victory: The Diary of Admiral Matome Ugaki, 1941-1945''] - book review

* [http://www.naval-history.net/WW2MedalsJap-GoldenKite.htm Imperial Japanese Navy Awards of the Golden Kite in World War 2, a Note]

* [http://www.worldwar1atsea.net/WW1NavyJapanese.htm Imperial Japanese Navy in World War 1, 1914-18 including warship losses]

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[[Category:Fleets|Japanese Navy]]

[[Category:Attack on Pearl Harbor|Japanese Navy]]

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[[Category:1947 disestablishments|Japanese Navy]]

[[Category:Empire of Japan|Navy]]

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