The Japanese operational sequence is more involved than one decisive carrier duel. Doctrine calls for rapid concentration, repeated attrition by submarines and aircraft, night attacks by cruisers and destroyers, and only then a fleet battle against a weakened enemy. A true decisive engagement requires concentration of a large share of the fleet rather than an isolated carrier action. Moving that force south creates its own constraint because Japan has limited fuel, tankers, and forward fueling capacity for sustained operations far from the home islands.
Chapter · 1:23:17-1:30:18
Japanese attrition doctrine meets operating limits
Japanese doctrine seeks to forestall, attrit, and then annihilate an approaching fleet, but concentrating that fleet far from home exposes fuel and tanker limits.