Oikawa reached the naval staff too late to make full use of his abilities. In this counterfactual assessment, he should have been appointed earlier in place of Shigetaro Shimada, before Japan's naval position had deteriorated so far. Membership in the treaty faction did not imply that he would administer the Navy weakly or lack operational ideas. His independence from Hideki Tojo could have allowed more coherent strategy and planning. This remains a judgment about a missed appointment, without certainty that Oikawa could have changed the war's outcome.
Notable Point · 8:59-9:25
The case for appointing Oikawa earlier
An earlier appointment in place of Shigetaro Shimada could have given Oikawa more opportunity to provide independent strategy and planning.