Japan's resource problem extended beyond the unfavourable comparison with American production. A Far Eastern war against either the United States or the British Empire threatened the interests of the other power and made its eventual participation likely. Even a successful attritional battle against the United States could therefore leave Japan facing the Royal Navy next. Japanese leaders moved only when British commitments in the Atlantic and Mediterranean seemed to prevent a major eastern reinforcement. Coalition arithmetic, as well as ship-to-ship performance, is central to understanding Japan's strategic predicament.
Notable Point · 41:25-42:25
The Anglo-American coalition and Japan's resource problem
Japan could not defeat either the United States or the British Empire in a prolonged contest and could not count on fighting one without eventually confronting the other.