Chiefs of Staff of the Axis Navies: (Long Patrol) - P13/14: Mitsumasa Yonai

Yonai's attempts to prevent war, and Emperor Hirohito's unusual personal confidence in him, introduce the contradictions in this Imperial Japanese Navy leader's career.

Yonai's rise from academy graduate to fleet and district commands includes a willingness to identify unstable torpedo-boat designs as a service-wide problem.

As Navy Minister, Yonai viewed rising tension with Britain and the United States as especially dangerous while Japan was already committed in China.

Yonai's 1940 government resisted alignment with Germany and Italy, until Japan's constitutional military-minister rules helped force his resignation.

Yonai's return from retirement as Navy Minister shows both Hirohito's trust and the Imperial Japanese Navy's refusal to accept a more compliant replacement.

Yonai favored a small number of imposing ships that might deter stronger opponents, even though such a fleet lacked the depth for a major war.

Before quoting Yonai's assessment of war with Britain and the United States, the research digression explains how sparse English references and conflicting versions led to an approximate reconstruction.

Asked whether Japan could defeat Britain and the United States, Yonai's reported answer describes a deterrent fleet without the force structure for such a war.

During the February 26 Incident, Yonai rejected euphemism and directed naval personnel to treat the army's young-officer revolt as an insurrection.

After Yonai's brief premiership, ministers and supporters formed a reunion association that outlasted their time in government.

Yonai remained Navy Minister through the Imperial Japanese Navy's dissolution, then became involved in the political and legal aftermath of defeat.

The final assessment credits Yonai's sustained efforts to preserve peace while keeping earlier cautions about his role in imperial Japan in view.