Deterrence needs construction, messaging, and deployment

The closing counterfactual asks whether Japan could have used its existing assets to deter conflict long enough to gain useful time. American strength at Pearl Harbor mattered even without an attack because it encouraged other powers to resist Japanese demands and restrict access to resources. The Dutch are offered as one example of a third party whose choices might change if the United States reduced its forward presence. A credible Japanese battle fleet could therefore aim to move American forces back rather than defeat them outright. Hulls matter in this argument only when their capability is understood and their deployment changes another state's choices. Delay would still leave Japan's resource problem unresolved.