Yamato and the industrial cost of prestige battleships

What could an IJN counterpart to Admiral Henderson have done differently after allowing the Yamato class to proceed?

Very little, because Yamato's infrastructure and support demands constrained investment across the rest of the fleet.

The Yamato program consumed more than construction tonnage: the class tied up scarce yards, industrial plant, and support infrastructure. Once committed, those demands limited what an IJN reformer could redirect toward other ships and capabilities. The constraint persisted even if a reformer received freedom over the rest of the fleet. The answer frames prestige-ship procurement as an ecosystem cost rather than a single hull's price.