A pilot pipeline designed for one short war

Why could Japan not replace naval pilots effectively during the war?

Its training system produced an elite opening force, not a continuous flow of replacements for a long war.

The problem was not simply that Japan lacked non-commissioned pilots. Its training structure was built to send an elite cadre into a short, decisive war rather than continuously generate replacements. Senior admirals repeatedly warned that a war with the United States would be long, yet the personnel pipeline did not reflect that judgement. This mismatch between doctrine, training, and expected attrition helps explain the rapid erosion of Japanese naval aviation.