Openly demonstrating a powerful battle fleet might have changed opponents' calculations more effectively than secrecy. A newsreel of Yamato, other battleships, and carrier aviation could have made Japanese capability tangible, as could a battleship visit to Hawaii. The purpose would have been to postpone war long enough to improve Japan's position and perhaps complete more Yamato-class ships. Japanese resource ambitions still made a permanent settlement difficult. A stronger display might delay a crisis, but it could not resolve the economic and diplomatic pressures driving expansion.
Notable Point · 6:23-9:35
Making battle-fleet strength visible as deterrence
A counterfactual case for publicising Yamato-era strength shows how naval display might buy time without solving Japan's strategic problems.