Perry's intervention and Japan's search for sea power

Japan's naval expansion grew from its exposed coastline, weak internal communications, and dependence on sea routes. In the interpretation developed here, Commodore Matthew Perry's expedition appears as a minor episode in American narratives but as a lasting national trauma in Japan. The fear of being coerced, colonized, or stripped of cultural autonomy encouraged a strategy of becoming too difficult to attack. That fear encouraged the pursuit of an effective, balanced fleet. Mikasa was the centerpiece and status unit of the 6-6 structure, while Japan's weak internal communications made continued access to sea routes essential.