The six armored cruisers were expected to hold enemy battleships while Japan's own six battleships won their separate fights. Surviving Japanese battleships could then intervene against the ships occupied by the cruisers. In this account, the planners expected to lose the armored cruisers and accepted that sacrifice to win the initial battle. The aim was to make an opponent send more than twelve battleships and still face heavy losses. The discussion distinguishes this approach from a risk fleet aimed at one particular rival: its warning was directed at any navy contemplating an attack.
Notable Point · 38:10-39:33
The expected cruiser losses behind Japan's six-six fleet
Japan's six battleships and six armored cruisers are explained as a force intended to make an attack prohibitively expensive, even at the expected cost of its cruiser division.