The Battle of Tsushima provides a precedent for an uncomfortable feature of Japanese decisive-battle planning: the final engagement might have to be fought close to Japan. In 1905 Japan could not stage the later interception-attrition sequence across the Pacific. Instead, the Russian fleet's long route, together with pressures from geography, the Russian economy, and government, did much of the weakening before battle. The comparison helps explain why later doctrine sought an intentional attrition phase before committing to a decisive fleet action.
Notable Point · 1:14:01-1:14:49
Tsushima showed how geography could do the attrition
Tsushima occurred closer to Japan than planners preferred, but Russia's long approach and domestic limits had already imposed attrition before the decisive battle.