Japanese treaty factions as competing deterrence strategies

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Japanese senior officers were more reluctant to fight America than their reputation suggests, and their treaty factions offered different ways to pursue deterrence.

A closer reading of Japanese naval politics reveals how reluctant many senior officers were to fight the United States. Both major camps recognized that Japan lacked the infrastructure for a long industrial war. Treaty supporters believed remaining inside the limitation system offered the safer deterrent. Their opponents believed Japan had to leave the treaties and build openly to create enough strength to deter American pressure. Their disagreement was more nuanced than the public image created by younger radical officers and assassination politics.