The decisive fleet battle was the intended endpoint of a longer sequence of ambushes and strikes. Those attacks were meant to reduce a larger enemy force until Japan could fight it on approximately equal terms. Victory would then create an opportunity for a diplomatic agreement. This interpretation treats attrition as the means of confronting a stronger power and criticises later practice for failing to carry out the original logic.
Notable Point · 41:06-41:54
Attrition before a decisive fleet battle
Repeated ambushes and attacks were meant to narrow an enemy's advantage before a final battle and possible settlement.