Japan could afford a fixed ten-to-seven capital-ship ratio

Could Japan afford the ten-to-seven capital-ship ratio it wanted?

Yes, if it built toward that fixed target; a continuing uncontrolled race would be the larger financial problem.

A fixed ten-to-seven ratio separates the cost of a limited building target from the cost of open-ended competition. It gives Japan a known force level to reach rather than requiring it to answer every British or American addition. In this assessment, Japan could afford the defined programme. Affordability became a greater problem when the target turned into a continuing race with no stable ceiling.