Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), officially Navy of Empire of Greater Japan, also known as the Japanese Navy was the Navy of Empire of Japan. It was the third largest navy in the world by 1920 behind the United States Navy and British Royal Navy, 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.

Imperial Japanese Navy in Days of Infamy
The Imperial Japanese Navy's role in the invasion and conquest of Hawaii in December, 1941 was critical. It was only through the efforts of Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto and Commander Minoru Genda of the IJN that the invasion was made possible. Naval pilots, under Mitsuo Fuchida quickly gained superiority of the air and sea by destroying Pearl Harbor and the American ships and planes located there. With the air and sea secure, it was relatively simple matter for the Japanese army to conquer the island of Oahu and break American military resistance.

In June, 1942, the Navy, again under the leadership of Yamamoto, beat back an attempted invasion by United States. Nonetheless, tension between the Imperial Navy and the Army was constant, as each believed itself to be the only arm of the military to be capable of expanding the empire.

The IJN received its first major defeat in 1943 when the United States broke the fleet patroling Hawaii and shot down most the planes on the islands. Prominent leaders Rear Admiral Tomeo Kaku, Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, and Commander Minoru Genda all died in that invasion.

Imperial Japanese Navy in Southern Victory
The Imperial Japanese Navy came into existence in 1869 with accordance of the Meji restoration to modernize Japan. The IJN scored its first major victory not long afterwards with a victory over the Spanish Navy at battle of Manila. This destroyed the Spanish Pacific fleet, allowing the Japanese to claim the Philippines as part of their empire.

During the Great War, Japan sided with the Entente, and the Japanese Navy launched a combined effort with the British Pacific Fleet to destroy the US Pacific Fleet and take back Hawaii. However, the battle was inconclusive, and both sides withdrew, and the Japanese Navy played a cat and mouse game with their US counterpart until the end of the war.

After the war's end, the IJN was used to secure the former European colonies of French in Southern Victory Indochina, and the Dutch East Indies.

During the 1930s, the IJN shipped gold and arms to Canadian rebels. When the US fleet caught them in the act, an IJN Submarine torpedoed the USS Remembrance, triggering the Pacific War. During this war, the IJN launched it's most successful attack using carriers, by launching an arial bombardment of Los Angeles, by lopping around the Hawaiian islands supported with oil tankers. Another such arial attack was launched at Hawaii itself, but failed. The war later came to a conclusion with no more major engagements. The war was the first time that carriers had been used.

During the Second Great War, the IJN launched a more successful attack against the US Pacific fleet sinking the USS Remembrance, taking Wake and Midway Islands. Although they had put the US on the defensive in the Pacific, the IJN didn’t press home this advantage, instead the navy went on the defensive itself, leaving only two carriers to counter the US, while its recourses went elsewhere.

During the last days of 1942, the US Pacific fleet launched a successful counter attack, sinking the only two carriers in the region. This prompted the IJN to abandon their US holdings, and concentrate against the British holdings of Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaya, successfully driving the British from the Pacific.

Imperial Japanese Navy in Worldwar
The Imperial Japanese Navy played only a minor part during the war against The Race. However, their actions during the opening phases of the invasion did raise the Race's awareness of boats as weapons when their aircraft carriers and battle ships raided bases on the Chinese coast. Fleetlord Atvar correctly noted that these ships were too large to hide, and the Race was able to adapt to them.

Imperial Japanese Navy in The War That Came Early
The Imperial Japanese Navy was seen as the only force in Japan that could restrain the Kwantung Army. It frustrated many in the army that the Navy Admiral's looked across the Pacific and saw the US as Japan's major threat and not the Soveit's.