For a destroyer above 2,000 tons that would serve beyond the treaty system, six main guns are criticised as an unnecessarily conservative choice. The proposed alternative has four twin mounts, two forward and two aft, together with eight torpedoes. Japan's larger shipyards are considered capable of building such a vessel. In this assessment, continuous interwar warship construction left Japan less vulnerable than Germany to attack before rearmament was complete. Leaving the treaty system would also remove treaty violation as a justification for war against Japan. This is a preference for a different design, based on the freedom and building capacity available to Japan.
Notable Point · 1:31:19-1:33:23
Why six guns on a larger Asashio?
With treaty limits receding and a hull above 2,000 tons, the choice of six guns is set against a proposed eight-gun alternative.