Japan cannot treat even a favorable surface battle as cost-free. Britain and the United States have the infrastructure and resources to build ships faster than Japan. A Japanese commander therefore needs enough capital ships to win decisively and reduce cruiser and destroyer losses instead of gambling those forces against Allied battleships. The immediate balance around Force Z feeds into a longer war of attrition that Japan has entered regardless of its preference for a short campaign.
Notable Point · 22:30-23:53
Industrial asymmetry makes a costly Japanese victory dangerous
British and American shipbuilding capacity makes losses harder for Japan to absorb, encouraging a heavier force that can avoid a costly gamble.