After a British night strike, Japan must choose between withdrawal and pressing toward a gun battle. Pride and the lack of major reinforcements create pressure to fight early before the Allied balance worsens. British commanders would approach the encounter with Jutland in mind and try to exploit damage and disorder caused by carrier aircraft. The resulting action is imagined as a lethal running engagement closer to Cape Matapan than a replay of Jutland. These incentives make an early engagement plausible without fixing the Japanese response in advance.
Notable Point · 27:59-29:19
Japan seeks an early decisive battle
Japanese pride, limited prospects for reinforcement, and the opening-war situation could push the fleet to seek battle despite losses.