Japan needed repeated operational success while its opponent repeatedly failed. The familiar comparison with American production also applied, in different form, to Britain and the wider British Empire. Either maritime power possessed infrastructure and construction capacity that outweighed Japan's ability to replace losses. Kantai Kessen therefore depended on converting an early victory into a political settlement before industrial arithmetic took control.
Notable Point · 25:32-26:14
Japan could not outbuild either maritime rival
Even a one-on-one war left Japan facing an opponent with a much larger industrial and shipbuilding base.