Imperial Japanese Navy and Wikipedia:Introduction (historical): Difference between pages

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[[Image:Imperial japan.GIF|thumb|280px|Ensign of the '''Imperial Japanese Navy'''.]]

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The '''Imperial Japanese Navy''' ('''IJN''') ([[:ja:大日本帝国海軍|&#22823;&#26085;&#26412;&#24093;&#22283;&#28023;&#36557;]] ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun'' or &#26085;&#26412;&#28023;&#36557; ''Nippon Kaigun'') was the [[navy]] of [[Japan]] before [[1945]]. Her origins go back to early interactions with the Asian continent at the beginning of our era, to reach a peak of activity during the [[16th century|16th]] and [[17th century]] at the time of exchanges with Medieval European powers during the [[Age of Discovery]]. After two centuries of stagnation during the country's ensuing [[Sakoku|seclusion policy]], Japan's Navy was comparatively backward when the country opened again to the world in [[1854]]. She then entered into a period frantic modernization, going through all the stages of industrialization at an accelarated pace, which made it the 3rd Navy in the world by [[1920]], and probably the most modern Navy in the world by the beginning of [[World War II]]. Her impressive history of successes, sometimes against much more powerfull enemies, ended up with near-anihilation in 1945 against the [[United States Navy]].

[[Image:DaiNipponTeikokuKaigun.jpg|thumb|80px|Ideograms for "Imperial Japanese Navy"]]

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== Medieval origins ==

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[[Image:Mokoshuraiekotoba.jpg|thumb|300px|Japanese [[samurai]] boarding Mongol ships in [[1281]].]]

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 period]] in the 3rd century.

The first major references to Japanese naval actions occur in the accounts of the [[Mongol invasions of Japan]] by the navy of [[Kubilai Khan]] in [[1281]]. Japan had no navy which could compare with Mongol forces, and most of the action took place on Japanese land, but on that occasion, groups of Japanese samurai, transported on small coastal boats, are recorded to have boarded and taken over several ships of the Mongol navy.

During the following centuries, Japanese "[[Wokou|Wakō]]" pirates became very active in plundering the coast of the [[Chinese Empire]]. At the peak of Wakō activity, circa [[1350]], fleets of 300 to 500 ships at a time, transporting several hundred horsemen and several thousand soldiers, would raid the costs of China (Nagazumi). Official trading missions were also sent to China, such as the [[Tenryūjibune]], around [[1341]].

===Warring States period (15th-16th century)===

[[Image:Atakebune2.jpg|thumb|250px|left|A 16th century Japanese "Atakebune" coastal warship.]]

Japan undertook major naval building efforts in the [[16th century]], during the [[Sengoku period|Japan's Warring States period]], when feudal rulers vying for supremacy built vast coastal navies of several hundred ships. The largest of these ships were called "[[Atakebune]]" (&#23433;&#23429;&#33337;). Around that time, Japan seems to have developed the first [[ironclad]] warships in history, when [[Oda Nobunaga]], a [[Japan]]ese [[daimyo]], had six iron-covered &#332;atakebune (&#22823;&#23433;&#23429;&#33337;) made in 1576. These ships were called "Tekkōsen" (鉄甲船, literally "iron armored ships") and were armed with multiple cannons and large caliber rifles to defeat the large, but not iron-covered, vessels the enemy used. He defeated [[Mori|Mori's]] navy with them at the mouth of the Kizu River, [[Osaka]] in [[1578]] in a successful naval blockade. These ships are regarded as floating fortresses rather than true warships, and were only used in coastal actions.

===Invasion of Korea (1592-1598)===

In [[1592]] and again in [[1598]], Japan invaded [[Korea]] with an army of 160,000, in the [[Seven-Year War]]. Although Japan had several victories on land, her navy suffered several major setbacks against the Korean navy, led by [[Yi Sun-sin]]. Her failure on the sea, and the difficulty in resupplying troops on land, were one of the major reasons for the ultimate failure of the invasion. The defeat in the [[Battle of Myeongnyang]] was still vivid in memories, when Admiral [[Heihachiro Togo|Togo]] would mention [[Yi Sun-sin]] as one of his "teachers" three hundred years later.

===Invasion of the Ryukyu (1609)===

In 1609, the lord [[Shimazu Tadatsune]] of [[Satsuma Province|Satsuma]] invaded the southern islands of [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryukyu]] (modern [[Okinawa]]) with a fleet of 13 junks and 2,500 [[samurai]], thereby establishing [[suzerainty]] over the islands.

===Oceanic trade (16th-17th century)===

[[Image:RedSealShip.JPG|thumb|230px|A 1634 Japanese [[Red seal ship]], combining eastern and western naval technologies.]]

[[Image:Sanjuanbautista.jpg|thumb|200px|The first Japanese-built [[galleon]], the [[1613]] ''[[Japanese warship San Juan Bautista|Date Maru]]''.]]

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 [[1614]], the [[Daimyo]] of [[Sendai]], in agreement with the [[Tokugawa]] [[Bakufu]], built [[Japanese warship San Juan Bautista|''Date Maru'']], a 500 ton [[galleon]]-type ship that transported a Japanese embassy to the Americas, which then continued to Europe.

From [[1604]], about 350 [[Red seal ships]], usually armed and incorporating some Western technologies, were also commissionned by the Bakufu, mainly for [[Southeast Asia]]n trade. Japanese ships and [[samurai]] helped in the defense of [[Malacca]] on the side of the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] against the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[Cornelis Matelief de Jonge|Cornelis Matelief]] in [[1606]]. The Japanese adventurer [[Yamada Nagamasa]] would play a military role in [[Siam]] (Thailand) with several armed ships. The English adventurer [[William Adams]] participated to Red Seal ship trade and would comment that ''"the people of this land are very stout seamen"''.

===Plan for the invasion of the Philippines (1637)===

The Tokugawa shogunate had planned for some time to invade the [[Philippines]] in order to eradicate Spanish expansionism in Asia, and its support of Christian strengths in Japan. In November 1637 it notified Nicolas Couckebacker, the head of the [[Dutch East India Company]] in Japan, of its intentions. About 10,000 samurai were prepared for the expedition, and the Dutch accepted to provide four warships and two yachts to support the Japanese junks against Spanish [[galleon]]s. The plans were cancelled with the advent of the Christian [[Shimabara Rebellion]] in Japan in December 1637.

===Seclusion (1638- circa 1840)===

Following these events, and for the following two hundred years however, Japan chose the policy of [[Sakoku]] (seclusion), which forbid contacts with the West, eradicated [[Christianity]], and prohibited the construction of ocean-going ships on pain of death.

A tiny [[Netherlands|Dutch]] delegation in [[Dejima]], [[Nagasaki]] was the only allowed contact with the West, from which the Japanese were kept partly informed of western scientific and technological advances, establishing a body of knowledge known as [[Rangaku]].

==Modernization: Bakumatsu period (1840-1868)==

The study of Western [[shipbuilding]] resumed in the 1840s during the [[Late Tokugawa shogunate]] ("Bakumatsu"), and intensified together with the increased activity of Western shipping along the coasts of Japan, due to the [[China]] trade and the development of [[whaling]]. In [[1846]], the American Commodore [[James Biddle]] was repulsed when he came to [[Edo Bay]] to demand the opening of Japan.

=====Western-style sailships=====

[[Image:ShoheiMaru.JPG|thumb|200px|The 1854 ''[[Japanese warship Shohei Maru|Shōhei Maru]].]]

From [[1852]], the government of the [[Shogun]], the [[Bakufu]], warned by [[Holland]] of the projects of [[Matthew Perry (naval officer)|Commodore Perry]] and fearing further foreign incursions, started the construction of a fleet of Western-style sail warships, such as the [[Japanese warship Hou-Ou Maru|''Hō-Ō Maru'']], the [[Japanese battleship Shohei Maru|''Sh&#333;hei Maru'']] or the [[Japanese warship Asahi Maru|''Asahi Maru'']], and established defensive coastal fortifications, as in [[Odaiba]]. These first ships were built using [[Dutch]] sailing manuals, and the know-how of a few returnees from the West, such as [[Nakahama Manjiro]].

In [[1853]] and again in [[1854]], [[Matthew Perry (naval officer)|Commodore Perry]] of the [[United States Navy]], made a demonstration of force with the newest steam warships of the [[US Navy]], equipped with new French-designed [[Henri-Joseph Paixhans|Paixhans]] guns using explosive shells. He finally obtained the opening of the country to international trade through the 1854 [[Convention of Kanagawa]], soon to be followed by the [[1858]] "[[Unequal Treaties|unequal]]" [[U.S.-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce]], allowing the establishment of foreign concessions, extra-territoriality for foreigners, and minimal import taxes for foreign goods.

=====Birth of a modern Navy (1855)=====

[[Image:Kanrinmaru.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Japanese warship Kanrin Maru|''Kanrin Maru'']], Japan's first screw-driven steam warship, [[1857]].]]

As soon as the country agreed to open up to foreign influence, the [[Tokugawa]] [[shogun]] government enforced an active policy of assimilation of Western naval techniques. In [[1855]], with Dutch assistance, the Shogunate acquired its first steam warship, the ''[[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|Enomoto]] (who studied in the [[Netherlands]] in 1862-1867), starting a tradition of foreign-educated future leaders such Admiral [[Togo Heihachiro|Togo]], and later on Admiral [[Yamamoto Isoroku|Yamamoto]].

[[Image:Chiyodagata.jpg|thumb|250px|Japan's first domestically-built steam warship, the [[1863]] [[Japanese gunboat Chiyodagata|''Chiyodagata'']].]]

In [[1863]], Japan completed her first domestically-built steam warship, the [[Japanese gunboat Chiyodagata|''Chiyodagata'']], a 140t [[gunboat]] which was incorporated into the [[Tokugawa]] Navy. The ship was manufactured by the shipbuilder, and future industrial giant, [[Ishikawajima]], thus initiating Japan's efforts to acquire and fully develop shipbuilding capabilities.

Following the humiliations at the hand of foreign navies in the [[Bombardment of Kagoshima]] in [[1863]], and the [[Bombardment of Shimonoseki]] in [[1864]], the Shogun stepped up efforts to modernize, relying more and more on French and British assistance. In 1865, the French naval engineer [[Léonce Verny]] was hired to build Japan's first modern naval arsenals, at [[Yokosuka]] and [[Nagasaki]]. More ships were imported, such as the ''[[Jho Sho Maru]]'', the ''[[Ho Sho Maru]]'' and the ''Kagoshima'', all built by [[Thomas Blake Glover]] in [[Aberdeen]].

By the end of the [[Tokugawa]] shogunate in [[1867]], the Japanese navy of the [[shogun]] already possessed eight Western-style steam warships around the flagship [[Japanese battleship Kaiyo Maru|''Kaiy&#333; Maru'']] which were used against pro-imperial forces during the [[Boshin war]], under the command of Admiral [[Enomoto Takeaki|Enomoto]]. The conflict culminated with the [[Naval Battle of Hakodate]] in [[1869]], Japan's first large-scale modern naval battle.

In [[1869]], Japan acquired its first ocean-going ironclad warship, the ''[[Kotetsu]]'', ordered by the Bakufu but received by the new Imperial government, barely ten years after such ships were first introduced in the West with the launch of the French ''[[La Gloire]]''.

==Meiji restoration (1868)==

[[Image:Stonewall-Kotetsu.jpg|thumb|210px|''[[Kotetsu]]'' (ex CSS Stonewall), Japan's first modern [[ironclad]], [[1869]].]]

From [[1868]], the restored [[Meiji Emperor]] continued with reforms to industrialize and militarize Japan in order to prevent it from being overwhelmed by the United States and European powers. The new government drafted a very ambitious plan to create a Navy with 200 ships, organized into 10 fleets, but the plan was abandonned within a year due to lack of ressources. Internally, domestic rebellions, and 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:Kongo(1878).jpg|thumb|250px|The 2,200 tons [[Japanese corvette Kongo (1877)|''Kongō'']], [[1877]].]]

During the 1870s and 1880s, the Japanese Navy remained an essentially coastal defense force, although the Meiji government continued to modernize it. In 1870 an Imperial decree determined that the British Navy should be the model for development. Ships such as the ''[[Japanese frigate Fuso (1877)|Fusō]]'', ''[[Japanese corvette Kongo (1877)|Kongō]]'' and the ''[[Japanese corvette Hiei (1877)|Hiei]]'' were built in British shipyards specifically for the Japanese Navy. A British naval mission visited Japan in [[1873]], headed by Comdr. [[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, designed by the naval architect Sasō Sachū on the line of the [[Elswick]] class of protected cruisers but with superior specifications, were ordered to British shipwards. The ''[[Japanese cruiser Naniwa|Naniwa]]'' and the ''[[Japanese cruiser Takachiho|Takachiho]]'' were 3,650 tons ships, capable of speed up to 18 knots, with 2 to 3-inch deck armor and two 10.2 Krupp guns. An arm race was taking place with China however, who equipped herself with two huge German battleships of 7,335 tons (the ''[[Chinese battleship Ting Yuen|Ting Yüan]]'' and the ''[[Chinese battleship Chen Yuan|Chen-Yüan]]''). Japan resorted to French assistance to build a modern fleet which could prevail in the upcoming conflict.

=====Influence of the French "Jeune Ecole" (1880s)=====

[[Image:Matsushima(Bertin).jpg|thumb|200px|The French-built ''[[Japanese cruiser Matsushima|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" doctrine favoring small, fast warships, especially [[cruisers]] and [[torpedo boats]], 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 ressources of Japan. In 1885, the new Navy slogan became ''Kaikoku Nippon'' (Jp:海国日本, lit. "Maritime Japan").

In [[1886]], the leading French Navy engineer [[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]]. He developed the ''Sanseikan'' class of cruisers, 3 units featuring a single but powerful main gun, the 12.6 inch Canet gun. Altogether, Bertin supervised the building of more than twenty units. They helped establish the first true modern naval force of Japan, and 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]]:

* 3 [[cruiser]]s: the 4,700 tons ''[[Japanese cruiser Matsushima|Matsushima]]'' and ''[[Japanese cruiser Itsukushima|Itsukushima]]'', made in France, and the ''[[Japanese cruiser Hashidate|Hashidate]]'', built by Japan in [[Yokosuka]].

* 3 costal warships of 4,278 tons.

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

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

* 1 [[destroyer]]: the 726 tons ''[[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 torpedoes, torpedo-boats and mines, of which the French at the time were probably the world's best exponents"'' (Howe). Japan acquired its first torpedoes in [[1884]], and established a "Torpedo Training Center" at Yokosuka in [[1886]].

[[Image:Kotaka.jpg|thumb|300px|The torpedo boat ''[[Japanese warship Kotaka|Kotaka]]'' ([[1887]]).]]

These ships were the last major orders placed with France, and Japan turned again to Great Britain, with the order under her own specifications of a revolutionnary torpedo boat, the 1887 ''[[Japanese warship Kotaka|Kotaka]]'', considered as the first ever effective design of a [[destroyer]], and with the purchase of the ''[[Japanese cruiser Yoshino|Yoshino]]'', built in [[Elswick]], the fastest cruiser in the world at the time of her launch in 1892.

== 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|200px|Video footage of a naval battle during the first Sino-Japanese war (1894). [http://www2.open.ed.jp/real/15655/01.mp2 Video].]]

The Japanese navy devastated Qing's northern 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 (the ''[[Chinese battleship Ting Yuen|Ting Yüan]]'' was finally sunk by torpedoes, and the ''[[Chinese battleship Chen Yuan|Chen-Yüan]]'' 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 agressive tactics.

As a result of the conflict, under the [[Treaty of Shimonoseki]] (April 17th, 1895), [[Taiwan]] and the [[Pescadores Islands]] were transfered 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.

==Boxer Rebellion (1900)==

The Imperial Japanese Navy participated together with Western Powers to the suppression of the Chinese [[Boxer Rebellion]] in 1900.

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).

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

[[Image:JBMikasa.jpg|right|250px|thumb|''[[Japanese battleship Mikasa|Mikasa]]'', the most powerful battleship of her time, in [[1905]].]]

[[Image: ADMIRALTOGO.JPG|thumb|150px|Admiral [[Togo Heihachiro|Tōgō]] at the age of 58, at the time of the [[Russo-Japanese War]]]]

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" ([[:ja:臥薪嘗胆|臥薪嘗胆]], Gashinshōtan), in which it commissionned 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 [[battleships]] (all British-made)

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

* 8 [[cruisers]] (5 Japanese, 2 British and 2 US-made)

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

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

One of these battleships, ''[[Japanese battleship Mikasa|Mikasa]]'', the most advanced ship of her time, was ordered from the [[Vickers]] shipyard in the [[United Kingdom]] at the end of 1898, for delivery to Japan in 1902.

These dispositions culminated with the [[Russo-Japanese War]] (1904-1905). At the [[Battle of Tsushima]], the ''Mikasa'' led the combined Japanese fleet into what has been called "the most decisive naval battle in history". The Russian fleet was almost completely anihilated: 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.

[[Image:JapanFirstSubmarines.jpg|thumb|300px|Japan's first fleet of submarines (No1 to No5, all [[John P. Holland|Holland]] designs), in the 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 as special weapons of considerable potential.

The Imperial Japanese Navy acquired its first submarines in [[1905]] from the United States [[Electric Boat Company]], barely four years after the [[US Navy]] had commissionned its own first submarine, [[USS Holland (SS-1)|USS Holland]]. The ships were [[John P. Holland|Holland]] designs. They were shipped in kit to Japan and then assembled at the [[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 built 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 subtituted by local assembly, and then complete local production, starting with the smallest ships, such as [[torpedo boat]]s and [[cruiser]]s in the 1880s, to finish with whole battleships in the early 1900s. The last major purchase was in [[1913]] when the battlecruiser [[Japanese battleship Kongo|''Kongo'']] was purchased from the [[Vickers]] shipyard. 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|300px|The ''[[Japanese battleship Satsuma|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 in the world to have a wireless communication system, used during the Battle of Tsushima.

* 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 and laid down as an "all-big-gun" battleship, one year before the British [[HMS Dreadnought (1906)|HMS ''Dreadnought'']].

* Between 1905 and 1910, Japan started to build battleships domestically. The 1906 battleship [[Japanese battleship Satsuma |''Satsuma'']] was built in Japan with about 80% parts from Great 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 an Anglo-Japanese siege, the Japanese Navy seized the German naval base of [[Tsingtao]] on the [[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. Japan seized the former possessions of Germany in [[Micronesia]] on this occasion (the [[Mariana Islands]], [[Caroline Islands]] and [[Marshall Islands]]), which remained Japanese colonies until the end of World War II, under the [[United Nations]]'s [[South Pacific Mandate]].

[[Image:NisshinMalta.jpg|thumb|250px|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]], Great Britain had requested, but was denied, the loan of Japan's four newest Kongo-class battleships ([[Japanese battleship Kongo|Kongo]], [[Japanese battleship Hiei|Hiei]], [[Japanese battleship Haruna|Haruna]], [[Japanese battleship Kirishima|Kirishima]]), the first ships in the world to be equipped with 14-inch guns, and "the most formidable and most superbly designed capital ships in the world" (Kaigun) at the time of their completion in 1912 and 1913.

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 [[Marseilles]], [[Taranto]] and ports in [[Egypt]] until the end of the War. One destroyer, ''Sakaki'', was torpedoed 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.

== Interwar years ==

In the years before WW II the IJN began to structure itself specifically to fight the US. A long stretch of [[militarism|militaristic]] expansion and the start of the [[Second Sino-Japanese war]] in 1937 had alienated the US and America was seen more often as the enemy of Japan.

[[image:Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho|''Hosho'']], the first purpose-designed [[aircraft carrier]] in the world ([[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.

Japan, like Great Britain, was almost entirely dependent on foreign resources to supply its economy, so that the Imperial Japanese Navy had to secure and protect sources for raw material (especially Southeast Asian oil and raw materials) that were far away, and controlled by foreign countries (Great Britain, the United States and Holland). To achieve this goal, she had to build large warships capable of a long range.

To achieve Japan’s expansionist policies, the Imperial Japanese Navy also had to fight off the largest navies in the world (The 1922 [[Washington Naval Treaty]] allotted a 5/5/3 ratio for the navies of Great Britain, the United States and Japan). She was therefore numerically inferior and her industrial base for expansion was limited (in particular compared to the United States). Her battle tactics therefore tended to rely on technical superiority (fewer, but faster, more powerful ships), and aggressive tactics (daring and speedy attacks overwhelming the enemy, a recipe for success in her previous conflicts).

[[Image:Fubuki.jpg|thumb|250px|Japan's innovative ''[[Fubuki class destroyer|Fubuki]]''-class [[destroyer]] ([[1928]]), introducing enclosed turrets capable of anti-aircraft fire and the 24-inch (60cm) 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 Hosho|''Hosho'']], the first purpose-designed [[aircraft carrier]] in the world to be completed, and subsequently developped 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 guns (with the ''[[Japanese battleship Kongo|Kongo]]''), 16-in guns (with the ''[[Japanese battleship Nagato|Nagato]]''), and the only Navy ever to mount [[18.1"/45|18.1-inch 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 (60cm) oxygen fuelled Type 93 torpedo, a design soon emulated by other navies.

* Japan developed the oxygen fuelled [[Type 93 torpedo]] torpedo, generally recognized as the best torpedo in the world, down to the end of World War II.

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.

== World War II ==

(''See also the article the [[Imperial Japanese Navy of World War Two]]'')

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. Betting on the speedy success of aggressive tactics, Japan did not invest significantly on defensive organization: she should also have been able to protect her long shipping lines against enemy submarines, which she never managed to do, particularly under-investing in [[anti-submarine]] escort ships and [[escort aircraft carriers]].

The Japanese Navy 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 [[Kamikaze]] (suicide) actions.

The Imperial Japanese Navy 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.

===Battleships===

[[Image:Yamatotrials.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Japanese battleship Yamato|''Yamato'']], the largest [[battleship]] in history, in 1941.]]

Japan continued to attribute considerable prestige to [[battleships]] and endeavoured to build the largest and most powerfull 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 Oldendorf]] of the US 7th Fleet sank the Japanese admiral [[Shoji Nishimura]]'s battleships [[Japanese battleship Yamashiro|''Yamashiro'']] and [[Japanese battleship Fuso|''Fuso'']] during the [[Battle of Surigao Strait]].

Nevertheless, the [[Battle of Samar]] on [[25 October]] [[1944]] during the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] proved that battleships still were a lethal weapon. Only the indecision of Admiral [[Takeo Kurita]] saved the American aircraft carriers of Taffy III from being pounded to bottom by gunfire of ''[[Japanese battleship Yamato|Yamato]]'', ''[[Japanese battleship Kongo|Kongo]]'' and ''[[Japanese battleship Nagato|Nagato]]'' and their cruiser host. Miraculously, only ''[[USS Gambier Bay]]'' along with four destroyers were lost due to surface action.

Ultimately, the advent of air power however spelled doom for the battleship. Battleships in the Pacific ended up primarily performing shore bombardment and anti-aircraft defense for the carriers. The ''Yamato'' and [[Japanese battleship Musashi|''Musashi'']], were sunk by aircraft attacks long before they could come within striking 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:Carrier_shokaku.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Planes from the Japanese aircraft carrier [[Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku|Shokaku]] preparing the attack on [[attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]].]]

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. 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. There were 6 American aircraft carriers at the beginning of the hostilities, only 3 of them operating in the Pacific, and 3 British aircraft carriers, of which a single one operated in the Indian ocean. Japanese aircraft carriers, such as the [[Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku|''Shokaku'']] and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku|''Zuikaku'']], exceeded any in the world in performance and capability, until the wartime development of the American [[Essex class aircraft carrier|''Essex''-class aircraft carrier]].

However, following the [[Battle of Midway]], in which four Japanese carriers were sunk, the Japanese Navy suddenly found itself short of full fleet carriers, resulting in an ambitious set of projects to convert commercial and military vessels into escort carriers such as the ''[[IJN Hiyo]]'' and ''[[IJN Shinano]]'', which became the largest aircraft carrier of World War II. The Navy also attempted to build a number of full fleet carriers, though most of these projects were not completed by the end of the war.

===Naval Aviation===

''Main article:[[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]]''

[[Image:Kamikaze_zero.jpg|right|250px|thumb| A [[kamikaze]], a ''[[Mitsubishi Zero]]'' in this case, about to hit the [[USS Missouri (BB-63)|USS ''Missouri'']].]]

Japan began the war with a competent naval air force designed around the best naval fighter plane of the era, the ''[[Mitsubishi Zero]]''. The Japanese pilot corps at the begining of the war were of high caliber as compared to their contemporaries around the world due to intense training practices and frontline experience in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese War]]. The Navy also had a competent tactical bombing force based around the Mitsubishi ''[[G3M]]'' and ''[[G4M]]'' bombers, which astonished the world by being the first planes to sink enemy battleships under way, in the [[Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse]].

As the war dragged on, the Allies were quick to find weaknesses in Japanese Naval Aviation. Though most of the Japanese aircraft were characterized by having 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 quickly nullified the advantages of the Japanese aircraft. Furthermore, due to delays in engine development, the Japanese Navy had great difficulty in developing new and more competitive designs during the war, resulting in the mass scale production of aircraft with known weaknesses. Following the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], the Japanese Navy increasingly opted towards deploying aircraft in the [[kamikaze]] role.

===Submarines===

[[Image:I-400.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]'s ''[[I-400 class submarine|I-400]]'', the largest submarine of World War II.]]

''Main article:[[Imperial Japanese Navy submarines]]''<br>

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|Sentaka 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 equiped with the most advanced torpedo of the conflict, the oxygen-propelled [[Long Lance]]. A plane from one such long-range fleet submarine, ''[[Japanese submarine I-25|I-25]]'', conducted what is still the only 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.

Overall, despite their technical prowesses, Japanese submarines were relatively unsuccesfull. They were often used in offensive roles against warships, 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 became better organized. 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 Great Britain (493 ships), 4.65 million tons for the US (1,079 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 [[radar]]. (Later in the war units that were 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)]] sunk three such equipped submarines in the span of four days). After the end of the conflict, several of Japan's most original submarines were sent to Hawai 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 US Navy in 1946 when the Soviets demanded to have access to the submarines as well.

===Fuel===

While other navies used highly refined ''burner oil'', later in the war the japanese were directly using high quality crude oil obtained from the captured East Indian colonial possessions of the Netherlands and France. While quite functional as a boiler fuel, this crude carried a hazard; as the lighter fractions had not been distilled out they formed highly flammable vapors within the warships' fuel tanks. This would often lead to a tank compartment explosion during battle should a shell penetrate the compartment or venting lines.

Previously at [[Pacific War]],since 30s period,Navy along Japanese Government,adquired [[Germany|German]] state manufacture license for installing the [[shale plant]] in [[Fushun]],[[Manchukuo]] was perhaps capable of annual production of 200,000 tons of [[shale oil]]. The Imperial Japanese Navy also had an interest there in producing some [[diesel oil]] and [[gasoline]], in low amounts,with some little shale extraction in [[Jehol]] province. later such production was ampled with [[petrol]] pits recent adquired in [[Dutch Indies]],[[French Indochina]] and [[Burma]] during wartimes.

==Self-Defense Forces==

[[Image:japanese_sailors_jmsdf.jpg|thumb|230px|Japanese Sailors besides the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] (JMSDF) training vessel JDS Kashima, in [[Pearl Harbor]].]]

''Main article: [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]]''

Following Japan's surrender to the [[United States]] 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).

{{IJN}}

== References ==

* ''KAIGUN, Strategy, tactics and technology of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941'',David C. Evans & Mark R. Peattie, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland ISBN 0870211927<br>

* ''The origins of Japanese Trade Supremacy, Development and technology in Asia from 1540 to the Pacific War'', Christopher Howe, The University of Chicago Press ISBN 0226354857

* ''A Battle History of The Imperial Japanese Navy'', Paul S. Dull

* ''Red Seal Ships (朱印船)'', Nagazumi Yōko (永積洋子) ISBN 4642066594 (Japanese)

==Major actions==

* [[Battle of Yalu River (1894)]] (Naval victory over the Chinese)

* [[Battle of Tsushima]] (1905 naval victory over the Russians)

* [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]] (December 7th, 1941 attack on the USN Pacific Fleet)

* [[Battle of the Coral Sea]] (tactical victory over, but strategic defeat by the US Navy)

* [[Battle of Midway]] (IJN loses four carriers to USN aircraft attacks)

* [[Battle of Guadalcanal]] (Location of seven great IJN-USN battles)

* [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]]

* [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]

== See also ==

{{Commonscat|Japanese Imperial Navy}}

* [[:Category:World War II Japanese ships]]

* [[:Category:World War II Japanese fighter aircraft]]

* [[:Category:World War II operations and battles of the Pacific Campaign]]

* [[Japanese Admirals of the Fleet]]

* [[Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau]]

* [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]]

* [[Giretsu special forces operations]]

* [[Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces]]

* [["Strike South" Group]]

{{ImperialJapaneseMilitary}}

* [[Tokei Tai]]-Navy Military Police

* [[Fleet Faction]] - Navy political group

* [[Treaty Faction]] - Navy political group

* [[May 15 Incident]] - coup d'etat with Navy support

* [[Teijiro Toyoda]] - Navy political leader

* [[Saito Makoto]] - Navy political leader

* [[Kiichiro Hiranuma]] - Politician with Navy links

* [[Mitsumasa Yonai]]- Navy political leader

* [[Kantaro Suzuki]]- Navy political leader

* [[Osami Nagano]]- Navy political leader

* [[Shigetaro Shimada]]-Navy political leader

* [[Isoroku Yamamoto]]

* [[Chuichi Nagumo]]

* [[Imperial Way Faction]]

* [[Japanese nationalism]]

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

* [[Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces]]

* [[List of infantry weapons of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]

* [[List of artillery weapons of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]

* [[List of tanks and armoured vehicles of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]

* [[List of radar models of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]

* [[List of bombs used by the Imperial Japanese Navy]]

* [[List of special weapons of Japanese Navy]]

== 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]

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[[Category:Navies|Imperial Japanese Navy]]

[[Category:Military history of Japan]]

[[Category:Fleets]]

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

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