Carrier raids forced Japan to hold resources for defence

The raids sought to take control of the war's pace by demonstrating that American forces could choose where to strike. Attacks moving closer to Japan forced attention onto bases, logistical facilities, and home-island defence. A larger Japanese battle line at Coral Sea or Midway might have drawn American aircraft away from Japanese carriers, changing the sequence of those battles. Keeping fighters and other resources at home also reduced what Japan could send to contested islands. Those resources were unlikely to reverse the eventual outcome, but they could have increased the cost and slowed the pace of American advances.