Japan gains time, but retains its strategic tradeoffs

Taiho represents a different approach to carrier protection from the American preference for larger air groups, with British armoured carriers providing another comparison. The discussion distinguishes aircraft-fed fires from flooding caused by damage below the waterline. Extra peacetime could support Japanese radar and anti-submarine development, but it would not automatically supply the lessons later learned through combat losses. The pilot-training system still favours a small elite over a large replacement stream. Merchant shipping remains a weakness, while capital ships and their successors compete with cruisers and other fleet needs for construction resources.