Victory makes postwar limits feel insulting

Did Japan's success in the First World War make the Washington settlement more insulting to Japanese national honor?

Yes. Japanese leaders could see their country as a major winner that deserved a correspondingly strong place in the postwar order.

Japan's experience of victory shaped expectations about the postwar settlement. In this interpretation, Japanese leaders felt that doing well in the war should bring favorable treatment in the treaty. Naval limits could therefore be perceived as an insult to national honor.