Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:03:59-1:04:18

Why Japan could welcome two British G3s

Japanese acceptance of two British G3s would help justify Japan's own battlecruiser program, just as acceptance of Lexingtons served the same competitive logic.

Capital Ship RaceG3 Class BattlecruisersImperial Japanese NavyNaval Treaties
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Question

Did Japan support the Royal Navy receiving two G3 battlecruisers?

Short answer

Probably, because two British G3s would help justify two Japanese battlecruisers, just as Japan accepted two American Lexingtons.

Notes

Japan could support the Royal Navy receiving two G3s because the concession would strengthen its case for two battlecruisers of its own. Japan was also willing to accept two American Lexingtons. Rival navies could therefore welcome a competitor's ships when the same agreement legitimized their own construction. Treaty bargaining concerned comparative permissions as much as the individual merits of a foreign design.