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Excellent essay, remarkable how many problems were papered over. Especially interesting tidbit on how Tsushima impacted their naval doctrine in general. If you haven't already seen it you might enjoy this low budget but very high effort video recreation of the Battle of the Midway, also told from the perspective of the Japanese.

Could you add more on the Japanese public getting sick of the war with China? My impression is that while modern Japanese are mostly uninterested in most of the possessions of the Japanese Empire, there is still a strong nostalgic sentiment for Manchuria in particular.

So far, much of the essay is a summary of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway (as the essay implies). Though I don't think the part about Japanese public opinion is covered. I would highly recommend the book if you are interested in this subject.

So far, much of the essay is a summary of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway (as the essay implies).

Sorry, I should have been clear. This is 100% correct, it's mostly just that. But Shattered Sword is somewhat lengthy and has details only nerds would really care about. I'm trying to cut down on some of the things I think people would not be interested in, like the whole section on Japanese carrier-based aircraft. That section is necessary to understand later arguments, but not to the level Parshall and Tully imply.

Though I don't think the part about Japanese public opinion is covered.

It's a small snippet in that book, actually.