Article 16 gave the United States, British Commonwealth, and Japan identical submarine allowances of 52,700 imperial tons. Japan therefore received parity in a category where its cruiser and destroyer limits were lower. Britain had already proposed abolishing submarines at the 1922 Washington conference, a ban that would have removed much of the anti-submarine equipment burden from destroyers and reduced the need to build sloops and corvettes in wartime. The proposal suited a maritime power that would otherwise have to defend long sea routes against submarines.
Notable Point · 23:02-24:10
Submarine parity and Britain's interest in abolishing the type
Japan received submarine-tonnage equality, while Britain had strong strategic reasons to seek a world in which submarines did not impose anti-submarine burdens on its sea lanes.