Nagano tried to make the best use of the forces and abilities available to him. Japan never possessed the mass needed to fight the United States on equal terms, which set a hard limit on what better leadership could achieve. Better coordination could still have produced a more effective campaign and imposed greater costs for longer. The chief of staff was best placed to demand that coordination, so the failure to secure it belongs partly to Nagano.
Chapter · 18:30-19:22
Japan's material limits and staff coordination
Nagano could not erase Japan's material inferiority, but the chief of staff still bore responsibility for improving coordination within the forces available.