Q&A · 4:05:23-4:07:15

Rearming Japan for a postwar Soviet campaign

A U.S.-backed Japanese campaign against the Soviet Far East would prioritize amphibious ships and cruisers over carriers or submarines.

Question

What ships would Japan keep or build if the United States used it against the Soviet Far East after 1945?

Short answer

Amphibious ships, cruisers, and a few bombardment battleships would matter more than carriers, destroyers, or submarines.

Notes

The Soviet Pacific Fleet did not present a target set that required restoring the whole Imperial Japanese Navy. American carriers could provide air power, while Japanese battleships retained for the campaign would mainly serve amphibious bombardment. Cruisers and especially landing ships would be more valuable for moving troops along the Soviet coast. Destroyers and submarines would have less justification, and former Japanese bases would be rebuilt as Allied forward infrastructure. The proposed fleet is therefore shaped by the mission rather than by a desire to preserve prestigious wartime classes.