Aircraft and submarines make forward attrition practical

Interception and attrition operations aimed to weaken an enemy fleet as far from Japan as possible. This preparatory phase was essential to creating the conditions for the eventual decisive battle. Related ideas existed around the Russo-Japanese War, but Japan initially lacked the means to carry them out fully. A larger submarine arm, long-range torpedoes and naval aviation made it possible to attack an approaching force without immediately risking the balance of the Japanese fleet. The earlier doctrine also helps explain Russian fears of Japanese torpedo boats operating far forward, although expecting them in the North Sea exceeded plausible Japanese logistical reach.