Japan already had a workable 16-inch gun and shells, so a 12-gun, 16-inch design on a Yamato-sized hull might have entered service more easily. The 18-inch program demanded more development, weight, and armour. Its value lay partly in status because the larger calibre made the battleship visibly superior to older ships. The same logic supports the argument that a carrier meant to deter through quality needed exceptional and publicly understood scale.
Notable Point · 1:11:57-1:13:08
Yamato's 18-inch guns as a deterrent design analogy
Yamato's 18-inch battery shows how visible status could outweigh an easier 12-gun, 16-inch alternative within a quality-based deterrent strategy.