Mark Stille's Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War is the easiest entry point, with photographs and a compact analytical overview. For deeper study, Evans and Peattie's Kaigun pairs well with Andrzej J. Ciesielski's fleet directory. Richard Fuller's Shokan adds detailed careers for Japanese army and navy leaders from 1926 to 1945. Together the four books move a reader from basic fleet development to strategic ideas, formal command structures, and the people occupying those posts.
Chapter · 1:24:01-1:26:06
A four-book path from fleet overview to command biography
Start with Mark Stille's accessible fleet survey, then use Kaigun and two directories for strategy, institutions, and individual careers.