Fort readiness and the timing of Japan's attack

Did incomplete Russian fortifications affect the timing of Japan's attack?

Yes. He argues that Japan benefited from striking before the relevant Russian forts were available for effective use.

The answer emphasises readiness rather than treating fortifications as automatically decisive. Japanese forces first had to overcome Russian forts that had not been completed in time, and that incomplete state helped shape the timing of the attack. Fully operational positions could have made the same operation slower, costlier, or unattractive at that moment. The example shows strategy exploiting a temporary readiness gap rather than a permanent weakness in an enemy's defensive plan.