Japanese doctrine beyond the decisive battle

Imperial Japanese Navy thought cannot be reduced to Kantai Kessen alone. Imperial defence policy, defence doctrine, operational doctrine, annual plans, and force requirements formed an interlocking framework. The decisive-battle idea influenced force design, especially heavy-cruiser policy, without dictating every operation. Tsushima, the Russo-Japanese War, and Japan's longer participation in World War I reinforced an expectation that a major victory could lead to negotiation. A simplified Greek model of war termination, in which one great battle creates bargaining leverage, is contrasted with a Roman model in which a defeated power rebuilds and returns. The analogy explains why a tactically successful decisive battle could still rest on a faulty prediction of the enemy's political response.