In this interpretation, both Kantai Kessen, the decisive-battle concept, and Taikan Kyohō Shugi, the preference for individually superior big ships and guns, grew from the Six-Six Fleet. Japan could not win a prolonged contest of resources against a great power, so it sought to win the first major battle and convert that victory into negotiations. The ideas that eventually shaped the Yamato class began as doctrines for preserving national independence rather than plans for unlimited conquest. The strategy depended on an opponent being willing to negotiate after defeat instead of returning with still greater resources.
Chapter · 45:29-48:04
Origins of Kantai Kessen and Taikan Kyohō Shugi
The decisive-battle and big-ships, big-guns traditions grew from a survival strategy developed decades before the interwar Yamato program.