Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, February 25, 1915
Osaki Satoshi had assumed that the whole of February 1915 would be one of the most boring months of all time. But then came an important event that finally exposed the weakness of the British Empire. In Kenya, rebels rose up against the occupying power and the Empire had great problems getting the situation under control.
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, March 3, 1915
The fact that not only the fighting, but the entire conflict was on the wane was also evident from the fact that the navy shifted its priorities. The turn of the month brought important research results that would have a lasting impact. Osaki Satoshi now expected the start of new peace negotiations every day.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, March 18, 1915
March also bobbed along. There was little or nothing to be noticed of the Royal Navy in Asia and it would probably stay that way.
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Until now, Osaki Satoshi had little time for the foreign press. Until his forced leave, he had also hardly paid attention to the Japanese newspapers, including his own. Now, however, for the second time in a short time, a French editor had attracted his attention.
Although the war was not yet over, this man raised the question of the post-war order and Japan's next plans. That was kind of brazen, because he should have asked this question himself long ago. It seemed that the Empire of Japan was moving more and more into the focus of the foreign press.
He could not deny it, Japan had entered the stage of the great powers and was thus in the spotlight of the world public!
Whether that was an advantage or not, of course, was not yet clear.
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In the middle of his thoughts, one of his editors burst into his office and held a document under his nose.
Satoshi recognized at once that this document should never have come out of the Ministry of the Navy. It contained all the information about the current condition of the 帝国海軍航空隊 (Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai - Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force). It was particularly piquant that all current aircraft designs had been classified as pathetic.
But then Satoshi felt the scales fall from his eyes!
He counted: Fifty-six plus fifty-six plus fifty-six plus twenty-eight. That makes one hundred and ninety-six. 196 completed aircraft were listed there, but not a single one was in service! And that was not surprising, because Japan had not yet designated a single base for its aircraft. At least not officially.
There was probably a lot going on in the ministry. He had to find out whether this was related to the hasty change of government, or whether there were more fundamental problems here?
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Then he couldn't believe his eyes. On the second page, there were comparisons with the other nations in the field of aviation. Where did Japan get this information from? These were not particularly precise, but the existence alone spoke for extensive Japanese espionage activities. If that came out, it could become a burning fuse on a powder keg.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, April 5, 1915
At the beginning of April, the news came that the Navy had begun to build airfields near its important bases. But Satoshi's attention was more attracted by the fact that the Royal Navy had a new tactic: cruiser warfare!
The number of losses of Japanese merchant ships due to British trade disruptors and mines had risen sharply. The Royal Navy was probably not capable of more at the time, but the Royal Navy was excellently positioned for a cruiser war with its worldwide bases.
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Friday, April 30, 1915
VICTORY!
The British Empire has agreed to the Japanese surrender conditions.
On the first of May, the war is over!
In the early hours of this morning, a British battle squadron dropped anchor off Hong Kong. The envoy of Her Majesty King George V was taken to the Japanese battlecruiser Iwate, where the peace treaty was signed in a short ceremony.
From tomorrow, the guns fall silent and the British Empire recognizes the bases of Wēihǎiwèi and Hong Kong as Japanese mandate territory. All properties of British citizens in Hong Kong and Wēihǎiwèi will also become Japanese property.
The war is over!
The British Empire was unable to continue the conflict and had to acknowledge Japan's claims in Asia. In his magnanimity, the Taishō-tennō did not impose any further conditions on the British Empire in order to give the British people a sign of Japanese generosity in their distress.
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō on the First East Asian Colonial War of 1914/1915 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
the war is over!
We have achieved more than we could have dared to dream!
I would like to inform the honored members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) that the Rengō Kantai has achieved an unexpectedly clear triumph over its opponent the Royal Navy. I also cannot emphasize clearly enough that the cooperation between the army and navy made the incredible conquest of Hong Kong possible in the first place. Under the rivalry, which has not yet and still not completely ended, we would never have succeeded in doing so.
I can hardly overestimate the importance of Hong Kong. Dear members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) – the conquest of Hong Kong allows us to make the leap to the whole of Southeast Asia!
But of course the sting of 青島の戦い bothers us. We have to do something about it. I would like to ask the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) to ask my expected successor and all relevant agencies to develop plans for the necessary measures. During the battles with our opponent, numerous officers have demonstrably recommended themselves as suitable for higher tasks. This qualified knowledge can be used for the tasks at hand.
Let me now illustrate how great our victory over the British Empire has been:
We regret the first loss of a larger warship, the protected cruiser Yaeyama
lost. A total of twelve pieces. Compared to the last great war, we were able to note a considerable increase in the artillery performance of our ships. Although we were never on a par with the enemy in the larger calibers, this circumstance could be more than compensated for due to the unexpectedly mediocre performance of the British Admiralty.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that it was again the incredible performance of our torpedo weapon to which we owe the results in this clarity.
The strategy of a large torpedo boat fleet can also be assumed to be recommendable for the future.
This is all the more true since it is already becoming clear that Japan will never be able to build a large battle fleet. I don't want to start talking about the maintenance of a battle fleet, especially in times of war.
Let the gentlemen take their own look at the economic data.
It can be seen that we have to stop or even cancel some, if not all, currently ongoing construction and repairs!
We cannot afford the current armaments volume. If we do not want to completely strangle our economy after this long and deprivation war, we must scale back all measures in favor of civilian production.
This is all the more regrettable because we have to devote ourselves to a new element of warfare, air warfare. The current aircraft came too late to have played any role in the outcome of the war or a battle. However, numerous officers express great potential in this technology.
I therefore strongly recommend that this branch of research and production be given the greatest importance!
Air warfare research should be the last area in which savings are to be made. We have a unique opportunity here to act on a par with the other nations or even to take the lead.
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So we now come to the confirmed losses of our opponent!
So, as a result of the peace negotiations, we now know the exact losses of the Royal Navy. These are:
the Four Battleships
BB Albemarle
BB Albion
BB Glory
BB Montagu
the two battlecruisers
BC Australia
BC Invincible
the seven ships of the line
B Barfleur
B Benbow
B Empress of India
B Magnificent
B Redoubtable
B Venerable
B Victorious
the six armoured cruisers
CA Aboukir
CA Andromeda
CA Ariadne
CA Drake
CA Europe
CA Leviathan
plus a corvette, two auxiliary cruisers and forty-nine cargo ships.
Immediately before the outbreak of hostilities, the British fleet had eleven active battleships and twelve active battlecruisers or battlecruisers under construction. Of these twenty-three ships, we were able to destroy six. So these were only about a quarter of the enemy's modern large warships. We may wonder what the rest of the Royal Navy did when their comrades went to their wet deaths?
We do not need to speak of the huge number of standard ships of the line that are considered obsolete.
Out of seventeen armoured cruisers, we were able to sink six, i.e. about a third. Out of thirty protected cruisers, we only caught one-sixth with five.
Twenty out of sixty-one torpedo boats make up a third. The enemy's torpedo boat gun was thus nominally the worst done, which is currently pushing the Royal Navy into an extraordinarily defensive position and may have been decisive for the ultimately surprisingly quick peace agreement. The Royal Navy is currently simply not in a position to provide its large warships with sufficient escort ships. Of course, the shipyard capacity of the Empire is gigantic and within a year the Royal Navy should have more than compensated for the losses of torpedo boats.
All in all, the Empire remains an opponent to be reckoned with!
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Thus, I may instruct the honored members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) to decide on my further use. I strongly recommend that the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) consider an officer who sufficiently appreciates air warfare when filling the command. Technological development is making great progress and it is the prerogative of young people to question the previous tactics and to supplement or replace them with new, more suitable approaches.
Thus, the officers of the 軍令部 (Gunreibu) of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the 参謀本部 (Sambō hombu) of the Imperial Japanese Army, and the 海軍省 (Kaigun-shō) may take favorable note of the course and outcome of the war against the British Empire.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō, May 1, 1915
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Saturday, May 1, 1915
"Everyday life" – what a funny word Osaki Satoshi thought. After more than a year of war, peace was now back in everyday life.
But it wasn't quite like that!
Editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi had actually done as stated and the end of the war right at the turn of the month was also the perfect moment. The glasses had been emptied, the sushi had been eaten and the editorial offices had surrendered to silence. Kamata Itachi hugged Satoshi tightly, then let go of him and took three steps back:
"All the best, young friend! You will master it, even if editor-in-chief Fukuzawa Saburo will certainly have different priorities than I do."
"はい" (hai) came out of Osaki Satoshi's mouth as he bowed.
"I will certainly keep an eye on the newspaper."
"はい"
"I still have many good friends here."
"はい"
"Good friend – the next war is sure to come. I know the military, they have finally tasted blood. You'll have a lot of work to do to figure out what happens next. I don't want to keep you from working any longer - どうもありがとうございます (Doumo arigato gozaimasu) – young friend!"
"どうもありがとうございます"
Both men bowed, then former editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi straightened up, turned to the door and left the room.
Osaki Satoshi was alone!
Japan had won a tremendous victory and brought the most powerful navy in the fleet to its knees. It was supposed to be a day of jubilee, a day of joy, but Satoshi felt as if the rising sun had gone out and eternal night was imminent.
For almost twenty minutes he stood motionless and stared at the door that had closed behind his foster father. As if he thought he saw a movement that the door would open again and a smiling Kamata Itachi entered and announced that it had all been just a dark dream.
"But he didn't come – the door remained motionless – Kamata Itachi had left"
"どうもありがとうございます (Doumo arigato gozaimasu)", Osaki Satoshi shouted to the dead wood of the door of his speech
"どうもありがとうございます (Doumo arigato gozaimasu)"
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Osaki Satoshi walked the few steps to his separate office and took a seat at his desk. The first post-war reports were already found there:
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Satoshi hadn't really noticed the reports. He left the editorial office and enjoyed the mild air and the warming rays of the sun. Spring had started late this year and the cherry blossom may have reached its peak in Tōkyō today.
It was hard to deny it - Japan had indeed received divine blessings when the cherry trees were in full bloom the day after the nation's greatest military victory.
Satoshi ran towards the Imperial Palace, where a large crowd not only celebrated 花見 (Hanami), but also cheered the victory of the navy.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, July 6, 1915
Osaki Satoshi had difficulties getting used to the new situation. He asked himself what was worse: being a war chronicler in peacetime or the new tone from the publishing house's management?
Satoshi had spent the last few weeks working through the past year of the war, working through all the information again and separating the important from the unimportant.
All in all, his editorial archive was impressive, but very concentrated on Japan. He knew little about foreign countries. His trip around the world felt like something from a previous life, but it was only eleven and a half years ago. But during this period, the world's war fleets had changed drastically, and a whole new chapter was about to begin. He needed more information from abroad. Jane's Fighting Ships was last published in 1914, but was not available in Japan because of the war with the Empire. Although the navy had found one or two copies in a roundabout way and had them copied for their captains, it was only now that it came onto the market in numbers. A good part of the information was outdated, because a good part of the Royal Navy ships that had made it into the factory were now at the bottom of the sea.
Setting up your own editorial network abroad was complicated. As a Japanese in Europe and America, you immediately attracted attention – especially if you were too interested in the military. In addition, they would have had to compete against the Wolff-Reuter-Havas cartel , and the publishers of this cartel were much more powerful than even the largest Japanese publishers were. The Wolff-Reuter-Havas cartel would know how to withhold information from overly curious Japanese. Last year's scandal had proven that.
Perhaps it was possible to cooperate with smaller European newspapers, but the new editor-in-chief did not want to know anything about a commitment in this direction. So for the moment, everything would continue as before.
Osaki Satoshi left the current news, but apart from the fact that the British Empire was still suffering from the consequences of the lost war, there was nothing really exciting about it.
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Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Thursday, July 29, 1915
>> The Imperial Japanese Navy Breaks New Ground <<
In a brief statement on the post-war plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy Yashiro Rokurō announced yesterday the completion of several bases for the 帝国海軍航空隊 (Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai - Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force). Although the navy is currently living massively beyond its means, the rearmament continues unhindered. It can be assumed that the navy wants to act in a leading position in the race for this new weapon of war from the outset.
Despite the great hardship, especially of the Japanese rural population, politicians seem unwilling to reduce military spending in order to get the civilian economy back on track.
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Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Friday, September 03, 1915
>> British Empire in crisis! <<
The powerful British Kingdom is still in an existential crisis after losing the war against Japan. Kenyan insurgents are still questioning British supremacy and inflicting painful losses on the soldiers of the Empire in constant skirmishes. At the moment, the situation seems to be slipping away from the Empire, which calls into question its continued existence as a colonial power as a whole.
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, September 6, 1915
Osaki Satoshi had spent a lot of time with his family for weeks and had done little work. There was simply no news. The new government had erected something like a wall of silence and apart from the sparse official announcements, nothing simply leaked out.
But now, at the beginning of September, Satoshi had learned by chance that things were already starting to boil again. He had dined the evening before at the Imperial Hotel and had been able to experience the appearance of an excessively angry German envoy completely by chance. Not that he had learned much, because the gentlemen at the next table spoke German, which he only understood in fragments. But that the kitchen and the service felt the resentment had been experienced by all those present.
What he had understood was probably about equipment for warships and that the Japanese had demanded or done something completely unacceptable. At least he could hear that the once-useful relationships were cooling down.
In the morning in the editorial office, he scoured the international press at the time of the end of the war against the Empire. Then he found something remarkable. He didn't find something more precise and that was the real news.
After the end of the armed conflict against the British Kingdom, Japan alone had sent its war fleet into reserve, and for the most part had completely mothballed it. All other countries, without exception, seemed to be keeping large parts of their warships under steam, and the Russian fleet was almost entirely in Vladivostok. The Tsar had almost three times as many warships operational in Northeast Asian waters as Japan.
According to his recollection, this had not been the case since the turn of the century, that Japan was not ready to defend itself.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, November 03, 1915
Gradually, the news became more interesting again. The government had begun to set up a lively trade in military equipment and at the same time landed a real coup with the licensed production of American 5inch guns of higher quality. The fact that the company's own development departments were able to present a breakthrough in the equally important 10inch caliber almost simultaneously made an elementary improvement of Japanese artillery possible.
The 5inch caliber is the relevant secondary caliber for cruisers and battleships, and the 10inch caliber is the largest caliber for the armoured cruiser class. In addition, the captains of the torpedo boats vehemently demanded a larger caliber for their ships and that could only be a better 5inch caliber. However, 5 inches still seemed oversized for torpedo boats.
Be that as it may, trade with foreign countries probably also led to acceptable offers of foreign technology.
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Monday, December 13, 1915
>> Kenyan rebels defeat the British Empire! <<
In a completely surprising major offensive, the Kenyan insurgents have committed a massacre of their British occupiers. There are also said to have been hundreds of deaths among the white civilian population. Observers on the ground speak of a panicked flight of the former colonial masters from their plantations and other possessions.
The flag of the new Republic of Kenya flies over the capital Nairobi.
It is further reported that the poor roads from Nairobi to the port city of Mombasa are overcrowded with fleeing troops and civilians. The railway line between the two cities is unusable. British battleships have reduced a large part of Mombasa to rubble in order to maintain control of the city and port as long as European citizens are still in the country.
Some French and Germans who lived in Kenya are also said to be among the victims, but there has been no reaction from the Grande Nation and the German Empire so far.
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, January 10, 1916
Osaki Satoshi had to get used to another new old face. Navy Minister Yashiro Rokurō had already gotten rid of his office. No information was given about the reasons, but it has only now become known that Yashiro Rokurō had already been replaced by the hero of Wēihǎiwèi last year.
Now Kaigun-chūjō Katō Tomosaburō had been appointed Minister of the Navy. Satoshi had immediately asked for an interview and had even prevailed with his request. In fact, Satoshi was allowed to conduct the interview with the new Minister of the Navy in his private possession. So he had spent the weekend in Hiroshima and was allowed to ask the minister his questions on Saturday.
Kaigun-chūjō Katō Tomosaburō came from an old samurai family and the family seat was furnished accordingly. The minister had been in his hometown over the turn of the year and found the environment suitable for an interview. He was right, because all the armor and swords were intimidating to Osaki Satoshi.
But then a pleasant conversation unfolded in relative openness, the likes of which he had not been able to have for a long time. He learned that the Navy would very soon limit arms spending and only the New 海軍航空本部 (Kaigun Kōkū Hombu - Imperial Japanese Naval Aviation Bureau) would be allowed to continue working with a full budget. He also received an overview of the current 帝国海軍航空隊 (Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai - Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force). So here Japan was in the process of massively rearmament.
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Compared to the other nations, Japan's naval budget was comparatively high, but the Empire was already leading again. The minister attributed this to the numerous replacement buildings required by the Royal Navy.
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Then the minister went into detail. The new construction would probably have to be slowed down, but the training would be all the more intensive and the shipyard capacities would be expanded. The Imperial Japanese Navy wanted to compensate for its technical disadvantages in shipbuilding with size.
"If we can't win by quantity, we have to win by quality." was the motto of Navy Minister Katō Tomosaburō.
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The minister was indeed unusually open. He announced the last commissions and re-commissions and commented on this as urgently needed in view of the latest findings on the supposedly small navies.
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But then he came out with the actual news and obliged Osaki Satoshi to maintain secrecy on this point. The Imperial Japanese Navy would soon begin the design and construction of large torpedo boats, perhaps as early as January.
Here Satoshi had become a negation and wanted to know whether the navy really saw the torpedo boats as its most important weapon?
The minister had answered in the affirmative. The torpedo boats are comparatively easy and quick to produce and with the planned new types of the 1500-ton category, this ship class would even pose an increasing danger to modern battleships.
Torpedo boats would therefore continue to form the backbone of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the future. The large units would actually serve to keep the enemy busy from a distance while the torpedo boats set about destroying them. Of course, there is the unknown factor of aviation, but for the time being, airplanes are not trusted to pose a serious danger to ships, if this will ever be the case at all.
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Now Osaki Satoshi sat in his office and arranged his notes. Today there would be no more article about the interview. The information was too extensive for that. He would work through the night, which admittedly hadn't been the case for a long time, and discuss the article with the rest of the editorial team tomorrow. So it would not go to print until Wednesday.
Until then, Osaki Satoshi hoped that no one from the Kempeitai would show up to retract the minister's statements.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, January 28, 1916
For the fact that the navy wanted to concentrate on aviation, the minister had actually said the least about it. So let's keep quiet, Osaki Satoshi stated. At least with the new large torpedo boats, the minister kept his word and Osaki Satoshi was allowed to take a look at the first drafts. He was not allowed to write about it.
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Thursday, February 03, 1916
>> Navy commissions world's largest battleship! <<
The Imperial Japanese Navy took delivery of the new battleship Hatsuse from 小野浜造船所 (Onohama Zōsenjo) (Kure Naval Shipyard) this morning. During the celebrations, the new Minister of the Navy, Katō Tomosaburō, said that the Hatsuse is currently the largest battleship in the world and helps to maintain peace in the world and especially in Asia.
With 40,000 tons and eight 15-inch guns, it is also the largest ship ever built in Japan and also the most expensive. The construction was delayed during the war years and thus the Hatsuse played only a theoretical role for the past war.
As long as we the Hatsuse are not allowed to bear the title of largest battleship in the world, because the Japanese Navy itself has an even bigger ship under construction with the Shikishima. So far, no similarly large design is known from the other war fleets, but the European fleets have long had battleships with even larger calibers in use.
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Tuesday, February 08, 1916
>> Navy sinks German fishing boat! <<
According to Navy Minister Katō Tomosaburō, an unfortunate incident occurred during a maneuver in which a ship of the German Empire was sunk. According to the minister, the German ship deliberately entered a clearly marked maneuver area and was accidentally sunk by the armored cruiser Furutaka. The minister suspects that the ship was actually a spy ship with the mission to collect information about our new battleship Hatsuse. There is no other way to explain the presence of a German fishing boat so far away from the nearest German port.
A reaction from the German Empire is still pending.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, February 16, 1916
Finally, Osaki Satoshi had learned about the Navy's plans for aviation. He already knew that the navy had aircraft-carrying ships under construction. What the ships might do was not known. Now the Navy had asked several shipyards to submit proposals for another ship of this type.
Osaki Satoshi had now seen details of the design, which seemed to be favored by the Navy.
The design was not particularly impressive, but drawings never were. You would have to take a look at the ship first to be impressed. But it was already clear that it was much smaller than the Hatsuse. So even in its real appearance, it would not be able to amaze anyone excitedly.
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Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, March 24, 1916
The physicist Albert Einstein, who has already attracted attention on several occasions with hardly comprehensible theories, has presented a new work this week. With the "Foundations of the General Theory of Relativity" he enraptures the researchers of this world. This work is probably only completely understandable for scientists of his level.
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, April 6, 1916
The Ussuri Maru was not a normal ship, but it looked almost normal. There were unusual cuboid superstructures and two cranes that were larger than usual. More the ship did not differ from a normal freighter. This time, the navy did not announce the completion, but Osaki Satoshi had received a tip to spend the day at the harbor after all.
When he was able to observe how this ship was undocked, it was clear to him what the tipster wanted to say.
"So this is an aircraft mothership!" he whistled softly through his teeth. He studied as many details as possible as quickly as possible and inconspicuously made some notes and sketches.
He had taken a first look at the future of seafaring and would now have to discuss it in detail with his colleagues. What could we think of this development?
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, April 7, 1916
Osaki Satoshi had gathered all the editors. He issued the task for the entire editorial team:
"Find everything there is to find about naval aviation at home and abroad."
One thing had already become clear to him. There would be no information through official channels!
Neither Japan nor any other country even had the ship classification aircraft mothership in the official fleet data. So he didn't even know if Japan was the first country to put this class of ship into service, or if other nations were already ahead.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, May 9, 1916
In May, it became known that Japan was trying to improve its relations with Germany. The incident with the fishing boat was probably to be forgotten quickly. The reason became apparent when it came out that Japan would acquire state-of-the-art 10inch guns from Germany. This was only possible if Germany did not have to regard the Japanese Empire as an enemy.
It was probably also fitting that Japan made it clear to the world that it saw a rival in the United States of America. The USA was seriously accused of espionage in the declared most important area of the navy, naval aviation.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, June 8, 1916
Osaki Satoshi puzzled around again, what was the government doing? He was looking for a word, a term, a headline. Then he found what he was looking for. Tomorrow the Tōkyō Shinbun would be with the headline
The Empire Campaign
open! There was no other reason for the fierce intervention against an armaments treaty with France. Germany and France had long cherished a fruitful enmity. If you wanted to serve Germany, a bad relationship with France was almost the basic prerequisite. But Osaki Satoshi thought that was just a pretext. A glance at the map of East Asia revealed that the German port of Tsingtau was like a thorn in the flesh of Japan. He was sure that the military would never concede this port in their backyard to a foreign power.
He was now sure that Japan was doing everything it could to lull the Germans into a sense of security with the Empire campaign. In truth, plans have certainly already been made against Tsingtao.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, July 10, 1916
At the beginning of July, there was information about Japan's latest achievement. In the 東京湾 (Tōkyō-wan - Tokyo Bay), the navy proudly demonstrated the Ussuri Maru to the world public. No, no other country had done this before, although there were increasing indications that other countries already had such ships.
But the Imperial Japanese Navy now had the momentum on its side through this demonstration. When the five planes of the Ussuri Maru flew together in a row along the specially erected grandstands and threw small warheads at prepared rowing boats, the spectators were petrified as pale as chalk. Large fountains of water rose and the spray left its mark on the faces of the reporters of the assembled international press. These cables to their home countries:
"Japanese bomb ships from the air!"
Osaki Satoshi had long since found out that other nations could do the same, but nobody knew. Now everyone believed that the Japanese had invented a diabolical new weapon that could be dangerous to ships.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, August 4, 1916
In August, the government announced approval for the construction of numerous new factories across the country. The government asserted that the new production possibilities should serve exclusively the well-being of the population. On closer inspection, it became apparent that these industrial plants were of course all suitable for the production of military goods. Nevertheless, long after the war, one could finally feel an enormous upswing mood in the country.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, September 1, 1916
Right at the beginning of September, there was a huge bang and Osaki Satoshi saw himself confirmed in his empire campaign. In Germany, an entire Japanese spy ring was probably unmasked. And the government could not help but portray the men as national heroes. After all, the head of the spy ring was the son of a high-ranking functionary. If this young man had been dropped, it would have been a disgrace for the entire family, which in this case had been impossible to accept.
But now it was clear that Japan was quietly working against Germany.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, October 26, 1916
The year began to come to an end and apparently something like peace had returned to the world. The number of news worth mentioning stagnated at a low level and the whole world preferred to talk about the latest premieres of operas or records in sporting events. Even in Japan, the misery of the population seemed to gradually fade as a result of the last war.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, November 6, 1916
Gradually, even Osaki Satoshi had to acknowledge that Japan was on the rise and that the government was doing everything it could to spur on this upswing. Much to the displeasure of the hardliners in the military, arms spending was not increased, but substantial sums were invested in the civilian economy and infrastructure.
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, December 19, 1916
The year actually said goodbye quietly and peacefully. It had become a hard time for Osaki Satoshi, because the population simply had no interest in news from the Navy. His reports moved further and further back in the Tōkyō Shinbun and threatened to degenerate into a side note. Worse, however, was that editor-in-chief Fukuzawa Saburo also had little interest in the bloated and largely useless naval editorial team.
So it happened that Osaki Satoshi had not even been informed that half of his editorial team had to resign at the turn of the year. He sat wordlessly in the circle of his colleagues and subordinates and all of them had already drunk more than one glass of 酒 (sake) too much.
He caught himself longing for a new war. He couldn't tell anyone, because everyone throughout Japan was happy to have finally overcome the heavy burden of the war economy.
Ministry of Navy of the Imperial Japanese Navy – Friday, December 29, 1916
All those present in the meeting room of the Minister of the Navy Katō Tomosaburō would have enjoyed another activity at the end of the year, but the topic could no longer be postponed.
Nevertheless, everyone had insisted on a meal before the start of the conversation. The day was now well advanced, the darkness of night had settled over Tōkyō and everyone had enjoyed too much 酒 (sake).
Now everyone sat in comfortable wing chairs, which the previous Minister of the Navy Yashiro Rokurō had procured to upgrade the meeting room. In addition to the acting Minister of the Navy, Katō Tomosaburō, these were the acting commander of the 第一艦隊 (Dai-ichi Kantai - IJN 1st Fleet) Kaigun-chūjō Yoshimatsu Shigetarō, again Satō Tetsutarō, who had been promoted to Kaigun-chūjō. The Chief of Staff of the Navy Kaigun-taishō Danshaku Shimamura Hayao, plus the representatives of the industry. Iwasaki Koyota represented Mitsubishi Company, Nakajima Chikuhei for Nakajima Aircraft Company, Kōjirō Matsukata for Kawasaki Dockyard Company.
The gentlemen agreed that there was far too little experience in Japan with regard to aviation. The naval leadership had also found that none of the relevant officers in the field of aviation saw the way for their personal advancement. However, one could not or did not want to simply punish the officers, who were usually highly decorated from the last war. The younger lower officers were simply overwhelmed with the task.
After a long discussion, it was agreed that the management of the 海軍航空本部 (Kaigun Kōkū Hombu - Imperial Japanese Naval Aviation Bureau) should be temporarily transferred to Kaigun-chūsa Yuzuru Hiraga. Kaigun-chūsa Yuzuru Hiraga was the chief engineer of warship development and thus the requirements of the naval air force in the field of ship development were at least not completely wrong. Airplanes should be used from ships after all.
The 艦政本部 (kansei honbu - Imperial Japanese Navy Technical Department) would make sure that nothing slipped in completely wrong directions.
Things really got going when it came to filling the position of head of the 帝国海軍航空隊 (Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai - Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force). The discussion was heated and lasted almost until sunrise the next morning. But then it was clear that the candidate simply brought everything that was needed, except the necessary service time.
Ōnishi Takijirō was only Kaigun-chūi. He would have to be promoted to Kaigun-dai-i, if not Kaigun-shōsa. But the man had simply proven that he could fly and lead. This is exactly what was needed at the moment. But you couldn't give such a command to a young man who had just left the academy about four years ago.
However, all other candidates were either unable to fly themselves, which was considered important. Not leading, which made them directly unfit or were even younger than Ōnishi Takijirō
It was agreed that Kaigun-chūi Ōnishi Takijirō should also only be used provisionally. So you could save face and didn't have to violate traditions. If the man proved himself in the post, he could still be promoted and officially deployed.
After that, they devoted themselves to the direct tasks, although the first rays of sunlight were already falling through the windows and everyone present was almost falling asleep.
It was agreed that the aircraft industry should focus on a new fighter that could beat any other aircraft in air combat. Combat power and maneuverability were decisive for this. So they deliberately renounced reach, which had previously been given a high priority. The seaplanes were already available in new models to meet the requirements of the Ussuri Maru.
In the case of flying boats, they wanted to wait and see what the development of the Zeppelins revealed. It is possible that zeppelins were better suited for sea exploration than flying boats, but that could not yet be judged.
+ + +
Finally, all officers and even the representatives of industry were invited to the map room.
There, on a large blackboard, hung an overview of the known tonnages of the navies of the world and pictures on the supposed financial resources of the rivals. With the greatest interest, everyone could see that the Royal Navy was working with concentrated power to compensate for its war losses.
+ + +
But the most exciting were the situation maps. In the meantime, many other countries had also demobilized. Only Germany and France did not seem to trust peace. Italy showed off in the Mediterranean, but probably had no more to offer than was shown to the whole world.
+ + +
But the real interest was in the East Asia region.
This is where Tsingtau stood out!
Vladivostok would never be conquered. At least that was the prevailing opinion. Vladivostok was Russia's heartland and Tsar Nicholas II would surely give his last shirt to defend or retake Vladivostok if it fell.
Troops could be brought in overland by rail, so they were not dependent on the sea route, as was the case for all other powers in the region.
Sakhalin was a different target, but it also offered the least benefit to Japan. It could be conquered in passing, if the opportunity should present itself. But one would not make a great effort for it.
The real eyes were directed to the south. There were three highly interesting areas there. Cochinchina, which was already within reach and offered essential resources that Japan's economy so desperately needed. The Malay Peninsula, which was British colonial territory and was able to dominate the entire region with Singapore. Those who owned Singapore controlled maritime trade to Europe and blocked access to the Chinese Sea for enemy fleets. Most recently the Philippines, which was almost indispensable for an attack on the Japanese heartland. The Philippines could either be a stepping stone or a buffer, depending on who could use the islands for themselves.
The Philippines belonged to the United States of America and this country was seen as Japan's future rival. It became apparent that the industrial power of the USA was considerable and that ships could be built there in a number that Japan did not even dare to dream of.
The U.S. was a problem and, in possession of the Philippines, the greatest threat in all of East Asia!
+ + +
In conclusion, the industrialists were given to understand what the economy had to do to make the Japanese bases ready not only for attack, but also for defense.
+ + +
As they left the room, all those present paid tribute to a commemorative plaque listing all the losses of the Imperial Japanese Navy since the turn of the century.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, January 8, 1917
The new year began as the old one had ended. There was little new to report and Osaki Satoshi had spent a lot of time with the family. His two older sons were now true masters at folding airplanes out of thin paper. During the walks in the mountain ranges of the 多摩丘陵 (Tama-kyūryū), these paper airplanes were then launched by the children. With the result that both were very annoyed that their father did not fish every plane out of the bare branches of the trees. After all, they found a paper airplane almost 800 meters further on the other side of a hill. A gust of wind had caught the construction and torn it up.
Satoshi caught himself thinking whether the future engineers of naval aviation did not happen to be growing up in his own house?
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, February 9, 1917
Finally, Osaki Satoshi had a headline that justified an extra paper. It had not been overheard either, because his house was not far from the site of the explosion. Some mad scientist wanted to demonstrate a completely new type of torpedo to the Navy and almost blew up the 横須賀海軍工廠 (Yokosuka kaigun kōshō – Naval Arsenal Yokosuka). As it was, however, only the warhead of the torpedo exploded when the weapon was to be loaded onto a torpedo boat and hung on a crane. There were injuries, but no fatalities. The detonation in the early morning could be heard for kilometers and held particularly well in the hills of the 多摩丘陵 (Tama-kyūryū). Nevertheless, the new torpedo was probably a success and the Navy bought in.
In the afternoon, the extra paper went to print, but sales in the evening were extremely poor. Osaki Satoshi himself made his way to Tōkyō in the evening to find out why.
The whole of Tōkyō was ecstatic. But not because of the explosion, but people crowded in front of the few cinemas in the city. It premiered 凸坊新画帳・名案の失敗 (Dekobō shingachō – Meian no shippai). The people were amazed, curious and amazed. The whole film lasted only a few minutes, but still the queue of people in front of the houses was longer than at the food counters during the war. Osaki Satoshi was also amazed, he had never heard of anything like it before – an animated film. He didn't attach much importance to this, but the rest of Japan seemed to be enchanted by the work of Ōten Shimokawa.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, March 01, 1917
Osaki Satoshi had to cope with another low blow. The last extra sheet had turned out to be an unsaleable work that had cost the publisher a lot of money. The editor-in-chief had then banned any extra paper until further notice. Gradually, Osaki Satoshi began to worry about his professional work. The reports from the navy could not help him to cope with the crisis.
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, April 9, 1917
In April, finally, there was a topic that people were interested in. There was a tangible espionage affair with two countries at once. Foreign Minister Ishii Kikujirō had let himself be carried away to speak of a European conspiracy against Japan. Relations with France and the Empire deteriorated significantly. Almost all European nations indignantly rejected the accusations. The otherwise rather pale and reserved Viktor Emmanuel III. King of Italy called it downright ludicrous to accuse hostile European nations of a joint espionage operation against Japan.
All this did not go down well at all with the Japanese population. Finally, the country had thrown off the burden of war. The economy flourished, and unemployment pictures fell significantly. Gradually, something like European prosperity developed, and the Japanese were unwilling to sacrifice these achievements for a new political adventure.
Again, Osaki Satoshi had to accept that he had blown the wrong horn with his comparison of the fleet strengths of all countries.
The population did not want to know who had more or better battleships, the population wanted to have their peace and quiet from the military!
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, May 14, 1917
By May, the worst anger among the people had already evaporated. Japan could boast of being the most successful nation at the 第3回極東選手権競技大会 (3rd Far Eastern Championship Games), which caused visible national pride. This was particularly easy, as the venue with Tōkyō had been easy to reach for many Japanese.
The old concept of bread and games seemed to work well in Japan as well.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, June 8, 1917
In June, newspapers all over the world were concerned with themselves. Long dead, the legacy of journalist and publisher József Pulitzer has only now been put into practice. New York's Columbia University awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the first time at the beginning of the week.
The fact that Jean-Adrien-Antoine-Jules Jusserand, a Frenchman, received the award was unexpected. Now, however, authors all over the world were captivated by this award and there was something worth working for.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, July 3, 1917
The second half of the year started promisingly for Osaki Satoshi. "Promising?" – Satoshi trembled of his own accord because of his choice of words. But the boredom in his shrunken editorial office probably gradually made him numb and selfish.
So it happened that he was more happy than afraid about the dark clouds coming from France. The espionage affair became more violent and French President Raymond Poincaré turned down an invitation to Japan that should have calmed the waves.
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, August 6, 1917
In August, Osaki Satoshi recognized the old scheme. Conjuring up crises, sowing the wind, fueling fear among the population. It seemed to start again. The navy also began to torpedo the actually good relations with Germany.
+ + +
Editorship of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, September 12, 1917
Gradually, the turnaround also became apparent in the population. The orders of the military led to an increase in industrial production, which resulted in a high demand for qualified workers. This also increased the need for unskilled workers and services. The recruitment rate increased and all the additional soldiers wanted to be equipped.
If the necessities of war led to falling unemployment and increasing prosperity, many a Japanese could no longer see any misfortune in it. The way was paved.
Osaki Satoshi was not sure about the future opponent alone. Tensions with France were already so high that this powder keg could explode at any time. But the latest statements by the Navy spoke more in favor of Germany as the new chosen enemy.
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, October 1, 1917
In October, however, it became quieter again. Osaki Satoshi had learned from circles of the naval leadership that they did not see themselves prepared for an imminent war and advocated a de-escalation strategy if possible.
Now Satoshi was sure that France was the wrong opponent. The German Empire was much closer to the Japanese heartland than France, but was much weaker in Asia than the Grande Nation. The goal of the Japanese military therefore had to be to finally clean up its own backyard.
To do this, Tsingtau had to be brought under Japanese control!
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, December 5, 1917
For the rest of the year, Japan's increased industrial opportunities were mainly noticeable in the form of significant technical advances.
+ + +
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, January 4, 1918
The beginning of the year was also marked by important technical advances. The military's plan to compensate for the quantitative deficit through qualitative superiority took clear shape.
+ + +
Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, February 12, 1918
Did the government and military want to reduce the escalation? Not when there were halfway good relations with a nation. At the time, there were no relations at all with the Empire. Reason enough for the military to change this. Osaki Satoshi began to wonder whether a conspicuous number of fishing boats were invading spear areas, or whether there were now a conspicuously large number of spear areas?
+ + +
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, March 6, 1918
The conflicts with the British Empire intensified in March. In doing so, the military was working to provoke war with no less than three nations at once. From past experience, this usually meant an early outbreak of hostilities. On the other hand, the navy is currently making no move to reactivate the mothballed ships.
+ + +
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, April 18, 1918
In April, Osaki Satoshi was pleasantly surprised by one of his worse editors. Abe Takeshi was not exactly characterized by a deep view and Osaki Satoshi was even a bit sad that it hadn't hit him during the wave of layoffs.
Today, Abe Takeshi burst into Osaki Satoshi's office and babbled:
"What else is the navy building?"
"What?"
"What else are they building? There is practically nothing going on in the shipyards. There have already been several waves of layoffs at the shipyards this year."
"Excuse me? But there are no unemployment problems – how do you come up with that?"
"My uncle worked in a shipyard until yesterday, now he has moved to a steel mill and he said that now affects thousands of shipyard workers."
Osaki Satoshi was stunned. He got the news of the last twelve months, then all the news since the end of the war with the Empire.
Takeshi was right!
The navy had not launched any new ships or even started modernizations for months. The ongoing construction program was worked through, but nothing followed. In addition to this mighty Shikishima, two armored cruisers and two protected cruisers were under construction. Another aircraft tender would probably be ready this month. There was nothing more, even though the navy had completed a lot of research in recent months and should therefore have commissioned new designs long ago.
What was going on?
+ + +
Ministry of the Navy of the Imperial Japanese Navy – Friday, July 19, 1918
The air in the office of Navy Minister Katō Tomosaburō was filled with smoke and could be cut with a knife. Consultations have been going on for hours now.
„…“
"Then we agree?"
"That's us, Minister. First, the battleships are overhauled. The plans for this have been available to them since last month."
"And then all the other ships in the fleet in terms of value?"
"Yes, except for the newest minister."
"And how do we finance it now?"
"As always, Mr. Minister. We create tensions and demand higher budgets to be able to react to them.
"All right, gentlemen, that meets with my approval. Now let's move on to the last item on our agenda."
"Very well, Minister. Please open the sheet in front of you now."
...
"What is that?"
"Mr. Minister, these are various design studies that we were able to obtain from the Americans."
"Received? You mean steal?"
"Let's say, take note, Minister."
"And these are supposed to be aircraft motherships? They look completely different from our designs. There's nothing left on deck, not even a command post."
"That is the striking thing, Minister, these design studies are very exciting."
"These ships look strange."
"The Americans call it a smooth deck or flight deck, Minister. And look at this picture here, they have had to experiment with it for a long time."
"The take-off of wheeled aircraft directly from the ship, Mr. Minister."
"Without having to put the plane down in the water?"
"Yes, Mr. Minister, and to take it back on board?"
"To be taken on board?"
"Yes, the pilots should land there again with the plane."
"Excuse me?"
"Our technical department says that this is feasible. And the gentlemen of the aircraft industry present have chosen pilots who would try to do this for us."
"And then it's supposed to be much bigger now?"
"Yes, Mr. Minister, up to twenty aircraft can certainly fit on this white. And wheeled planes are much better than planes with floats. These aircraft can also be taken off and taken back on board much faster."
"Another study. Obviously, the construction times are too long for the Americans and here they are checking whether existing old ships can be converted into a smooth-deck ship."
"But I suppose we can't speak of a smooth deck here?"
"Not directly, Mr. Minister, but the principle is the same. At the front, aircraft can take off via a ramp and resume at the back of the deck. The jetties on both sides of the command tower can then be used to bring the aircraft back from back to front and take off again."
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, August 8, 1918
At last! At the beginning of August 1918, the Ministry of the Navy announced the reward for the great economic efforts of the last few years. The Ministry of the Navy now saw its own steel and shipyard industry on an equal footing with the major nations of Europe and the United States of America.
It was finally possible to achieve the manufacturing quality that corresponded to sea power, and highly trained shipyard workers built the ships faster than ever before.
Japan's economy had taken the decisive step in order not to fall behind in the race for supremacy at sea.
This message pleased Osaki Satoshi, because the next war would certainly begin to emerge soon and then finally his work would be in demand again.
For a brief moment, he wondered when he had become so cynical, since when his personal success was more important to him than the lives of the soldiers? But that didn't bother him for too long, there would soon be work again. He had to be prepared for that.
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, September 9, 1918
Then came the setbacks in September. Although the shipyards may now be much better, in the field of aviation they were still at the beginning and the best and most experienced test pilot from Mitsubishi lost his life when the prototype of a new flying boat broke apart in the air shortly after take-off. Gradually, Osaki Satoshi realized why the navy had been so hesitant for months to escalate the conflicts.
Nobody knew how to classify the importance of the Air Force, so the naval leadership was simply afraid.
What if the enemy's aircraft destroyed the torpedo boat strategy, which has been so successful so far? Japan could not win a real naval battle, it had far too few capital ships for that.
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, October 03, 1918
October began with everyday life and Osaki Satoshi became impatient. He was eagerly awaiting some major event that would lead Japan to war. But that didn't happen!
+ + +
Ministry of Navy of the Imperial Japanese Navy – Thursday, November 21, 1918
In the office of the Minister of the Navy, the circle of decision-makers met again. The group of men in the military and industry who pointed the way in which the fleet should develop.
Alarmed by the reports from Tsingtau that the German Empire had begun building an air force base there and spurred on by the latest research successes, they wanted to do the same as the Americans.
Months after the findings on the flight deck principle from the USA, the first design for an aircraft ship was available. That was the first point of discussion.
There was still no uniform classification and there had been no agreement on the designation of the aircraft carrying ships. Aircraft ship, aircraft carrying ship, aircraft mothership, no one was really satisfied with the terms. What could be said for an aircraft-carrying ship?
It was then the venerable Kaigun-chūjō Satō Tetsutarō who spoke out in favor of suggesting an international naval conference. After all, there have been newspaper reports for some time that the terms armoured cruiser and torpedo boat have also been questioned. If Japan were to unilaterally establish its own terminology, other nations would consider this an act of presumption of the highest order. This could be the spark that caused the powder keg to explode. But that was precisely not in Japan's interest at the moment. On the other hand, "fleet talks" inspired by Japan reduced tensions.
However, all those present agreed that it should only be about trivialities and that one should never get involved in any restrictions.
+ + +
Then, finally, Japan's design for a first aircraft ship was submitted. Even in the run-up to the event, everyone had agreed that it had to be done quickly. Japan's third aircraft mothership – the Kehi Maru – had just been put into active service in August. Now the brand new ship would go straight back to the shipyard to be extensively rebuilt. This would save Japan months compared to a completely new design. The ship simply already existed and it already had important facilities for the maintenance and operation of aircraft. You could fall back on it without having to rebuild everything inside.
The designers only removed most of the superstructure where this was easily possible and replaced them with two smooth decks at the bow and stern of the ship. To connect the two smooth decks, the idea of side webs along the bridge was simply stolen. This was planned on the port side. On starboard, on the other hand, space was retained for a minimum of artillery in order to be able to defend against torpedo boats.
However, it was clear to everyone that torpedo boats were never allowed to get so close to this ship.
The Kehi Maru became faster, but could now carry slightly fewer aircraft. The problems that had arisen after completion also spoke in favour of the conversion. The Kehi Maru was simply top-plastic, which was a problem especially when setting down and picking up aircraft as an aircraft mothership. This problem could now be corrected by attaching torpedo bulges, which at the same time protected against torpedo hits.
After hours of pros and cons, the conversion was decided and the 横須賀海軍工廠 (Yokosuka kaigun kōshō – Yokosuka Naval Arsenal) was designated to carry out the reconstruction.
Satisfied, the construction plans of the previous and the new Kehi Maru were placed next to each other and fabulated about whether it would be possible to finish before the Americans.
+ + +
Among those present was the outgoing commander of the 第一艦隊 (Dai-ichi Kantai - IJN 1st Fleet) Kaigun-chūjō Yamashita Gentarō and his predicted successor Kaigun-taishō Yamaya Tanin.
It was also this Kaigun-taishō Yamaya Tanin who asked a surprising question:
"Dear Sirs, if I can see it, these aircraft ships are supposed to play an independent role? Not to say act on an equal footing with battleships?"
A clearing of the throat went through the room.
Minister of the Navy Katō Tomosaburō took the floor.
"There were such thoughts, Admiral, yes, that's true! What are you getting at?"
"Dear Sirs, I wonder if these ships will then be considered part of the 聯合艦隊 (Rengō Kantai)? Or whether, because these ships are independent and engage in a different kind of fight, a new designation is not necessary?"
Those present were stunned, but it was true. Until now, no one had thought of it. Kaigun-taishō Yamaya Tanin proposed the designation 第一航空艦隊 (Daiichi Kōkū Kantai - 1st Air Fleet) for a convoy of aircraft ships. His question now was whether this 第一航空艦隊 (Daiichi Kōkū Kantai - 1st Air Fleet) was subordinate to his 第一艦隊 (Dai-ichi Kantai - IJN 1st Fleet) and thus under his command, or whether the 第一航空艦隊 (Daiichi Kōkū Kantai - 1st Air Fleet) would be an independent force and thus needed a commander?
"Your time in the Temple of Prayer must have made you a philosopher, Admiral!" The minister was alluding to the admiral's self-chosen stay at Yasukuni Shrine, which the admiral had taken as a result of the second naval battle off Hainan on June 10, 1914. "That's where you come up with such questions?"
Due to the advanced time, this question was postponed. Japan did not yet own an aircraft ship and as long as it would eventually be one or two ships, there was no need to think about having its own Kantai.
Should there be more units one day, however, it would have to be determined whether they were part of the Rengō Kantai in the event of war or independent!
+ + +
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, December 20, 1918
In December, tensions subsided somewhat. As the year drew to a close and Christmas approached in the Christian nations, a strange mildness spread among the peoples, and there seemed to be more harmony than discord. Osaki Satoshi was also seized by it, but this was more due to the gentle pressure of the family than because of his own intention.
This year would end without a big bang.
+ + +
Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Monday, December 23, 1918
>> Scandalous handling of taxpayers' money by the Navy! <<
Over the weekend, it became known that the Navy has begun demolishing its airship bases. These airship bases are still among the more recent achievements of the Imperial Japanese Navy and were hardly used. In the last war against the British Empire, the airships came too late to play a role in the waning fighting. Nevertheless, these airships are among the newest units of the Navy and have not yet been able to show what potential they have.
Minister of the Navy Katō Tomosaburō explained that the Navy has gained enough experience with the airships in recent years to know that they are a dead end. Research efforts in this area would be reduced to a minimum and maintenance costs would be saved by demolition in order to be able to be used for the more promising aircraft technology.
This ends the chapter of airship in Japan even before it has really begun, and the population may rightly ask itself whether its tax money has been senselessly squandered here?
Only the two airship bases in Southeast Asia are to continue to operate for a few more months in order to serve as training targets for the new fighter aircraft. This can be understood as a demonstration to the other states in this region of what the Navy intends to do with enemy airships.
+ + +
Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, January 3, 1919
1919 began with new hostilities. However, this time it was the United States. This paved the way. The spiral of escalation became more and more tense and Osaki Satoshi had to think again about what would happen if Japan had to play more than one opponent at the same time?
+ + +
Tōkyō Shinbun Editorial Office – Tuesday, January 14, 1919
With sparkling eyes, Osaki Satoshi stood in the office of editor-in-chief Fukuzawa Saburo.
"I need more staff, Mr. Editor-in-Chief."
"Mr. Osaki, how many more times? We have no need for uninteresting articles about the fleet. The population is more interested in sports and news from all over the world and not in the threatening gestures of the Admiralty."
"Mr. Editor-in-Chief, I assume you were away again over the weekend?"
"Yes, of course, but I don't know what that concerns you!"
"Then you don't know?"
"What don't I know?"
"The Navy is mobilizing!"
"WHAT?"
"At the weekend, I myself observed how a dozen corvettes were made seaworthy and in the meantime they are gone, disappeared, sailed."
"What do you mean disappeared?"
"Where did I disappear to? And corvettes, too? That's what you call mobilizing? They're toy ships!"
"Exactly, Mr. Editor-in-Chief! These corvettes are good for nothing, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless it is war! That is the only purpose of sending these ships out. I have learned that the corvettes are on their way to Formosa."
"Formosa?"
"You don't need a corvette there, Mr. Editor-in-Chief, unless there is a bang!"
"It's banging? Who should it bang with?"
"France or Germany? Most recently, there was a huge dispute with the United States."
"Häm...."
"Corvettes are good for nothing, Mr. Editor-in-Chief, but these kinds of ships should be relocated before you start. And the Imperial Japanese Navy has just transferred twelve corvettes to Formosa, Mr. Editor-in-Chief. It was very time-consuming to find out. It could also have been a maneuver. It is not a maneuver Mr. Fukuzawa, these corvettes have been permanently deployed. To find out what's happening, I need more staff, Mr. Fukuzawa!"
"All right, Mr. Osaki. Put together for me the vitae of the persons you consider suitable. We don't hire anyone, but if you find out that the Navy is mobilizing its big pots, I might come back to your list."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Editor-in-Chief!"
Gritting his teeth and angry, Osaki Satoshi left his boss's office! How stupid was this man? What kind of evidence was needed that a new war was imminent? The Navy's budget was so miserably bad that the Navy was bankrupt by the end of the year. You don't mobilize ships and move them to another region. This increased expenditure considerably. And that is exactly what the Navy could definitely not afford at the moment.
But what if a war was imminent?
+ + +
He had hardly arrived in his editorial offices when Abe Takeshi almost ran him over:
"My uncle is back at the shipyard. They are hiring, and at significantly better salaries than before."
"Oh, so?"
"And better yet! My uncle was busy building the Nachi. He is now aboard the Nachi on her way to Formosa along with the sister ship Kinugasa and destroyer escort. He and other shipyard workers are to take care of the maintenance of the ships in Formosa. The shipyard there is not trusted to do that, because they don't know the ships."
"Come with me – we have to go to the editor-in-chief immediately!"
+ + +
Imperial Japanese Navy Ministry – Tuesday, January 14, 1919
"There will be a huge uprising within the Admiralty, Kaigun-taishō Yamaya Tanin, aren't you aware of that?"
"Yes, Mr. Minister, but it definitely makes sense, Mr. Minister."
"Does it do that? Most officers – and not only the admirals – consider airplanes to be children's toys. Almost all of them adhere to the principle of the gunboat doctrine."
"Yes, Mr. Minister!"
"And you know that Japan still has damn few ships with large-caliber guns compared to our opponents?"
"Yes, Mr. Minister!"
"And yet you are presenting me with plans here to reduce the number of these ships in order to convert them into aircraft ships?"
"Yes, Mr. Minister!"
"This will cause an uprising, Admiral, that can cost you your position!"
"Yes, Mr. Minister!"
"And you've thought about it carefully? And the design department thinks it's feasible?"
"I have exact blueprints from the design department here. The plans are ready, Minister. We could withdraw the Suwo from the reserve fleet today and bring it to the shipyard, Mr. Minister."
Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Monday, February 03, 1919
>> Navy commissions new world's largest battleship! <<
Exactly three years to the day after Hatsuse, the Imperial Japanese Navy took delivery of the new battleship Shikishima from 小野浜造船所 (Onohama Zōsenjo) (Kure Naval Shipyard) this morning. During the celebrations, Minister of the Navy Katō Tomosaburō said that the Shikishima is now the largest battleship in the world and, like the Hatsuse, is helping to keep peace in the world and in Asia.
With 49,000 tons and eight 16-inch guns, the Shikishima is incomparably more powerful than the Hatsuse and, according to current knowledge, represents the peak of Japanese shipbuilding development for the time being. The navy currently has only four other newbuildings, all including cruisers, under construction. Thus, one wonders in Japan and the world whether the Japanese rearmament at sea is thus over?
The celebrations of the commissioning of the Shikishima were marred by the news that another Navy pilot had died during a test flight of a prototype. It is possible that the Japanese public would not have known about it if the disaster had not happened immediately after the takeover ceremony of the new battleship, only a few hundred meters away from the docks.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, March 5, 1919
Osaki Satoshi was somehow disturbed by the fact that the Navy was commissioning next to nothing new. While more and more hellings and dry docks were deserted, nothing came and he couldn't find out why that was so?
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, April 16, 1919
Gradually, however, it dawned on him what the Navy was doing. With all its might, the navy pushed technological development. In his opinion, this allowed only one conclusion: the navy no longer intended to immediately install every new technology in existing ships, but aimed for a big leap.
The next ship designs would represent an almost revolutionary leap compared to their predecessors, while the whole world could be led to believe that they had given up on upgrading!
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, July 21, 1919
In this way, the first half of the year flew by very quickly. In July, the world situation changed significantly. Osaki Satoshi would have liked to travel to Berlin himself to get an idea of the fleet talks taking place there, but he was not allowed to. The summer would have been very grateful for this, as Kaiser Wilhelm II had invited all the heads of state of the participating nations to Berlin.
For the Taishō Tennō, participation in such a profane event was out of the question, it would attack his position too much. Therefore, the rather colorless Prime Minister Hara Takashi was sent to Europe. As Japan's first bourgeois prime minister, he had a difficult time in the military, which he had pushed further out of the offices of political Japan. He was not convinced of the military and therefore hardly privy to military projects.
To everyone's surprise, Prime Minister Hara Takashi was invited to Paris by French President Raymond Poincaré after the conclusion of the talks at the highest level. In the opinion of the military traveling with them, this went too far. Fujie Keisuke had used his opportunities as military attaché in Paris to create a conflict that did not exist at all. As a result, Prime Minister Hara Takashi allowed himself a wild insult to French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and the termination of the special talks in Paris was perfect. The conference in Berlin also faltered for a short time, but the German Kaiser was able to prevent a premature break-off. However, the prospect of agreement on even the lowest concerns disappeared into the distant future.
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, July 25, 1919
Osaki Satoshi did not know whether it was a hasty decision because of the events in Europe, or whether it had been planned for a long time. Even before Prime Minister Hara Takashi had returned home from Europe, a large number of Japanese torpedo boats were transferred to the shipyards. All in all, this was the largest armament project in many years and the torpedo boat weapon would be a completely different one afterwards. Many of the torpedo boats were so old that one could actually expect to be scrapped, now the combat value has been significantly increased.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, August 11, 1919
In August, the Hatsuse, which had been undergoing modernization for some time, came back to the fleet. Gradually, it became clear that Japan's navy intended to fight the next conflict with the world's most modern fleet. When a battleship that was just three years old was completely overhauled in peacetime, it couldn't be long now.
Now it was August - the modernization of the torpedo boats would take eight to ten months - Osaki Satoshi speculated on a new war in the early summer of next year!
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, September 9, 1919
In September, the signs finally pointed to war. The Navy ordered no less than thirty-six new ships. Twenty-four torpedo boats and twelve corvettes.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, December 03, 1919
In the last months of 1919, military operations intensified. The armament was in full swing, Osaki Satoshi learned details about a very successful espionage operation against Russia, even if this had not gone undetected, and the people could already feel the change in thoughts of the end of peace.
Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Monday, January 26, 1920
>> Sensation in Yokosuka – Shipyard hands over the world's first aircraft carrier! <<
This Monday morning, the 横須賀海軍工廠 (Yokosuka kaigun kōshō – Yokosuka Naval Arsenal) handed over the world's first aircraft carrier to the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Visibly proud of the achievements of the divine Japanese nation, Minister of the Navy Katō Tomosaburō spoke of one of the greatest moments in Japan's history. For the first time, Japan has succeeded in leading a pioneering new technology, ahead of the imperialist nations of Europe and the United States of America.
Thousands of onlookers stood on the beaches and promenades of the 東京湾 (Tōkyō-wan - Tokyo Bay) and were irritated by the strange ship from which a single plane took off to celebrate the day, made a wide loop over the entire bay and then landed back on this ship.
Now, however, the Kehi Maru has to anchor for another few weeks to be equipped before the ship sets off on an extended round trip around Japan to announce Japan's new possibilities.
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>> Supplement to the extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Monday, January 26, 1920 <<
>> The Navy of the Empire of Greater Japan in 1920 <<
In January 1920, the Navy of the Empire of Greater Japan comprised:
3 Battleships
5 Battlecruisers
1 Aircraft Carrier
1 Aircraft Tender
6 Standard ships of the line
12 Heavy Cruisers (formerly classified as Armoured Cruisers)
23 Light Cruisers (formerly classified as Protected Cruisers)
103 Destroyers (formerly classified as Torpedo Boats)
36 Corvettes
46 Submarines
In addition, there are 199 aircraft and 16 airships. Details about the individual ship types can be found in the following Pictures.
Several other ships, including 2 Heavy Cruisers, are currently under construction or undergoing overhaul and modernization. Particularly noteworthy here is the Suwo, our famous ship of the line, which is also being converted into another Aircraft Carrier.
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Illustrations of the active fleet units of the Greater Japan Empire's Navy:
Illustrations of the naval units of the Imperial Japanese Navy under construction or overhaul:
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All ship images were kindly provided with permission for publication by Navy Minister Katō Tomosaburō himself.
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>> Comment of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Monday, January 26, 1920: <<
On the occasion of the commissioning of the aircraft carrier Kehi Maru, Minister of the Navy Katō Tomosaburō gave an exclusive interview to this newspaper. We found this statement by the minister succinct:
"The fleet serves exclusively to protect Japan's interests in East Asia."
In this regard, the Minister of the Navy points out that Japan's navy may be the smallest of all navies, but also one of the most modern navies in the world. The small size is also clear evidence of Japan's peacefulness.
The question of whether the fleet will continue to build gigantic battleships, when there is now a completely new class of ship with the aircraft carrier, was answered evasively by Minister of the Navy Katō Tomosaburō:
"Of course, size may play a role, but I can't judge whether big is big enough or already too big. Since we are a peace-loving country, we do not intend to answer this question in a baptism of fire."
Quite a few people close to the government, and in particular numerous representatives of foreign nations whom we addressed this morning, described this statement of "baptism of fire" as a blatant threat of war against France.
The minister initially did not want to explain the purpose of the recent transfers to Formosa. When asked, however, the minister said as follows:
"We have only transferred the oldest and barely modernized fleet units to Formosa. This serves to test the suitability during a comprehensive maneuver."
When asked whether the fleet had actually built "unsuitable" ships in the past, the minister countered with the following words:
"The combat fitness is beyond question, but after the war against the Empire many years ago, we now have to take more account of the conditions in Southeast Asia. The rather harsh climate of Northeast Asia requires different ship designs than the tropical climate zones. It remains to be seen whether the crews on the older ships will feel comfortable when their home is thousands of kilometers away. We want to find out this influence on operational capability with this very maneuver."
The French ambassador in Tōkyō Constant, Valentin Edmond Bapst, told us that this statement contradicts all reason and will certainly not go uncommented by his government.
Finally, Minister of the Navy Katō Tomosaburō paid tribute to our editor's work in the past with the words:
"It is good to know a neutral and sincere ambassador of the people in such a position of trust, who informs the population of facts, without which the Navy would not have this support for a long time."
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, February 4, 1920
After the extraordinary news at the end of January, the situation calmed down significantly in February, but a new form of pride could still be felt everywhere in the capital. Japan was a leader in the field of modern navy for the first time. This attracted enormous international attention and numerous nations asked for permission to send a naval attaché to Japan.
The naval leadership was flattered, but also saw the danger of espionage, and the Japanese Navy was very familiar with this.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, March 9, 1920
In March, the navy came up with another innovation, which probably now originated in Europe again. Although it caused some surprised faces that torpedo boats were now part of the fleet again, these new motor torpedo boats did not have much in common with the previous torpedo boats before their reclassification. Rather, they evoked clear associations with the torpedo boats of twenty years ago.
The Navy, at least, prepared the deployment of these motor torpedo boats in all major ports.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, April 5, 1920
In April, Osaki Satoshi first thought it was a joke. The editor-in-chief appeared in his editorial office and demanded a significant upgrade and expansion of the editorial office. This probably had to do with the fact that the navy had now begun new recruitments without making a secret of it.
But that had probably become necessary! In Berlin, someone seemed to have understood what was going on in Japan. The signs were also too similar to 1904, 1908 and 1914. In the aftermath of the Berlin Naval Conference, the German Kaiser had brought a reduction in armaments spending into play. If, despite the existing tensions, some kind of friendship between Germany and Japan had been suspected, the world was now taught better.
At the beginning of April, the two alleged friends were on the verge of a war before the Japanese imperial family managed to calm the waves.
This had finally opened the editor-in-chief's eyes!
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, April 8, 1920
It took only three days after that, then came the official mobilization!
All units of the Imperial Japanese Navy were put into active condition. Thousands of young men received their call-up orders, and an important part of industry was called up to produce war goods. The signs were now finally pointing to war. However, all observers around the world wondered who Japan would campaign against – Germany or France?
A few observers noticed that the Russian Navy had quietly transferred part of its fleet to Asia. Other observers commented on the transfer of a significant part of the Japanese fleet to Formosa and Hong Kong as a clear signal against France.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, May 6, 1920
In May, the confusion was finally complete when serious accusations against the United States of America were voiced from Japanese government circles. It was the British press that first raised the question of whether Japan intended to wage war against the whole world?
In all the sabre-rattling, Osaki Satoshi almost overlooked the announcement that the Navy plans to build real aircraft carriers in the future and no longer just convert other ships.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, June 10, 1920
June saw ongoing tensions, while Osaki Satoshi had almost the entire old "troupe" of editors together. He was a little annoyed that his editor-in-chief Fukuzawa Saburo had pushed a foreigner on his eye. He didn't know anything about the man yet, except that he came from Germany and would stay in Japan until the end of the year.
He really couldn't use a German journalist at his side, since hostilities with the German Empire could break out at any time.
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, July 14, 1920
In July, the docks in the country's shipyards had visibly emptied. Many conversions had been completed by the fleet and were already on their way to Southeast Asia. But it didn't take long for the Navy to come up with the announcement that it had commissioned the first two real aircraft carriers.
These carrier ships would be something completely different from the previous conversions, and would avoid the shortcomings already identified. But it was already clear that these ships would not play a role in the upcoming conflict unless this war lasted several years.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, August 05, 1920
The next turn of events followed in August. The German Empire no longer trusted the situation. In addition to German journalists, German spies had also found their way to Japan and were quickly exposed in this large number. Now only a spark was missing to light the fuse.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, September 6, 1920
At the beginning of September, the converted Suwo came out of the shipyard and was unrecognizable. The mighty turrets had not given way to anything. There was no other way to explain the smooth deck and the off-center superstructure led the press to ask whether the ship would not capsize as a result. Osaki Satoshi knew better, and it was clear to him that it had a counterbalance somewhere in the ship. He was much more interested in whether sixteen planes could actually do more damage than the 12inch guns?
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, October 1, 1920
The rest of September was quiet, apart from the fact that Osaki Satoshi saw ghosts everywhere. Not only did the German reporter follow him every step of the way and he felt like a babysitter, but there also seemed to be more pale faces among the press representatives in Tōkyō than Japanese.
Apart from these animosities, October also started quietly. In addition, the change in the weather did not speak for a rapid outbreak of hostilities. Rough seas were conceivably unsuitable for fleet operations. At least if it should be against Tsingtau.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, December 7, 1920
In November there was nothing but the completion of destroyers, but in December came the next political bang, this time with Italy. With the exception of Russia, with which there were always heightened tensions, Japan was now at odds with every serious naval power on the planet.
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Friday, December 31, 1920
The end of the year was restless. Christmas did not have the same meaning in Japan as it did in countries with a Christian character. In Japan, Christmas was mainly used for couples to spend time together. This year, this was not possible for tens of thousands of newly in love and young couples. While the Germans and French were probably in a festive mood even overseas, Japanese soldiers embarked on their transports in all kinds of ports on December 24. The first ships left their berths in the evening darkness with an undetermined destination.
That was a week ago and at least everyone was looking forward to the turn of the year, which played a big role in Japan. The joy was short-lived and Osaki Satoshi had to rush back to the editorial office. Now he held the extra paper in his hand, which had just gone on sale. A strange darkness covered Tōkyō, but that was probably nothing to come.
The government had announced a speech by the Tennō for tomorrow and that was extraordinary, to say the least. Even in the greatest need, you hardly ever heard anything from the emperor personally, so something really important must have happened!
Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Saturday, January 01, 1921
>> JAPAN DECLARES WAR ON FRANCE! <<
>> The Tennō himself reads out the declaration of war on France! <<
This morning, the Taishō Tennō declared war in a speech in front of the 貴族院 (Kizokuin – Mansion) of the Grande Nation. In his speech, the Tennō spoke of having been insulted to the highest degree by representatives of France. On what occasion this incident took place was not explained. However, a settlement of the differences had failed. Behind the scenes, it was speculated that the German emperor wanted or should mediate. However, this failed because Germany itself would also have its problems with Japan.
Our editorial team has information that indicates that Germany even deliberately caused the final scandal. Foreign Minister Uchida Kōsai, who was present, did not want to comment on these accusations. However, it stands to reason that a war between France and Japan would be to Germany's advantage.
Following the Tennō's speech, Navy Minister Katō Tomosaburō was inundated with questions. All the questions revolved around how many French ships could be sunk in the opening battle?
To the astonishment of all present, the Minister of the Navy announced that no battle had yet taken place between Japanese and French naval forces.
The outbreak of hostilities with France had also come unexpectedly for Japan, which meant that the prelude to the conflict, which had already been stylized as a second colonial war, was extremely peaceful. Apart from pithy words from the diplomats, not a single shot has been fired so far.
Prime Minister Hara Takashi has announced various government announcements for the evening. However, this much is already certain: the entire economy will be subjected to the constraints of war and all men fit for war will have to be ready for military service.
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From the War Chronicles of Imperial Japan:
>> Second East Asian Colonial War of 1921/1922 <<
The Second East Asian Colonial War was actually an unwanted child for Japan at that time. The military had done everything to fuel tensions, but only to the extent to obtain a maximum budget for armaments. Japan's navy was desperate to complete its most important new construction programs before the next war - the aircraft carriers.
It was too early for that in January 1921.
Secondly, they wanted to clean up their own backyard before a southern expansion, which made it necessary to annex Tsingtau. The next opponent should have been Germany, which, unlike France, was lulled into a sense of security. Despite the acute tensions, there were friendly ties between Berlin and Tōkyō, and the rest of the world had judged it that way. Germany would therefore have been quite surprised with an attack on Tsingtau, while France had seen the conflict with Japan approaching for years.
The whole world could see that the Grande Nation was ultimately taken by surprise, because neither France nor Germany had assembled significant naval forces in the region at the time of the declaration of war.
Germany and France had practically their entire fleet units in home waters, i.e. weeks away from the scene of the events!
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The Japanese military were thus able to plan their actions in peace despite the undesirable declaration of war. With the Hong Kong springboard, it was possible to spread across French Indochina in several stages. From Tonkin in the north to Cochinchina in the south. But you had to start in the province of Guangzhouwan, whose important base Fort Bayard acted like a door opener if you wanted to rule in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Hong Kong Air Force Base (Hong Kong) – 40 aircraft
Takao Air Base (Formosa) – 40 aircraft
Naval Air Force Base Sasebo (Japan) – 40 aircraft
Wēihǎiwèi Air Base (Wēihǎiwèi) – 40 aircraft
Port Arthur Air Force Base (Liaodong Peninsula) – 20 (40) aircraft
Wakkanai Air Force Base (Hokkaido) – 20 (40) aircraft
Naval Air Force Base Yokosuka (Japan) – 20 (40) aircraft
Noshiro Naval Air Base (Japan) – 20 (40) aircraft
Takao Airship Base (Formosa) – 8 Airships
Hong Kong Airship Base (Hong Kong) – 8 Airships
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The French fleet in January 1921
At the beginning of the war, the Grande Nation's fleet consisted of the following units:
The following units were under construction in January 1921:
2 Montcalm-class battleships (36,700 tons each)
1 Bruix-class battlecruiser (35,900 tons each)
2 Dupetit Thouars-class battlecruisers (36,000 tons each)
1 Chanzy-class battlecruiser (38,400 tons each)
1 Friant-class light cruiser (4,500 tons)
1 Ville De Bayonne-class aircraft mothership (4,900 tons)
2 corvettes of various classes (900 tons each)
2 corvettes of various classes (600 tons each)
1 coastal submarine
4 Submarines
Air Force in January 1921:
Total number of naval aircraft: 80
Pointe-à-Pitre Air Base (Guadeloupe)
Naval Air Force Base Marseille (France)
Naval Air Force Base Le Havre (France)
Naval Air Force Base Brest (France)
Airship base Papeete (Tahiti)
Brest airship base (France)
Airship base Tunis (Tunisia)
Le Havre airship base (France)
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Comparison of forces between Japan and France:
Before the first East Asian colonial war, the comparison between Japan and the Empire was considered superfluous because the Royal Navy was oppressively superior. With regard to capital ships, this was also true between Japan and France. However, the difference was nowhere near as pronounced.
More important in the Second East Asian Colonial War, however, was that France maintained significantly smaller bases in Asia than the Empire had six years earlier. France could only supply smaller fleet squadrons than the Empire had been able to do. Thus, Japan could expect from the beginning that the enemy would never "show up" here with its entire fleet.
This circumstance was dramatically exacerbated by the fact that France had only one heavy cruiser in service. However, this was exactly the class of ship that was best suited for colonial service and cruiser warfare, because the necessary bases for exactly this type of ship could be smaller than for battleships.
France might still find a sufficiently large dock in Asia for a heavy cruiser, but not for a battleship!
In the smaller ship classes, France was already inferior on paper. Japan had three and a half times as many destroyers and they could rely on well-developed bases in East Asian waters. France's destroyer fleet was not only inferior in numbers, but also in combat power. Japan had modernized all of its former torpedo boats before the war, which was not the case for the French destroyers. In addition, Japan already had state-of-the-art 1,500-ton destroyers in active service, which were clearly superior to the largest 1,100-ton destroyers of the French Navy.
In the end, Japan had already expanded all bases in the region with the new air force by all means, while France did not own a single aircraft in East Asia.
The supposed superiority of the French fleet was thus practically non-existent at the scene of the incident and even non-existent in terms of tonnage with 845,300 to 811,400 tons!
The Second East Asian Colonial War was thus the first modern naval war in which Japan was the favorite from the beginning!
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Sunday, January 2, 1921
In no time at all, Osaki Satoshi had increased his editorial team. In a crisis meeting on Saturday, the editor-in-chief had agreed to the increase and Satoshi had been on the road until the early morning to check out a list of names. It wasn't as easy as he had liked, but after the editor-in-chief was brimming with newfound generosity, he had unexpected help.
Editor-in-chief Fukuzawa Saburo had a new gem for some time - a DAT 41!
And that with a driver. Since then, the old DAT had had its day and stood around. The editor-in-chief had now entrusted him with this old DAT in order to get through the city faster.
-- New image and description added, as the original image from https://cmhdatsun.co.za/datsun-1914/ of the German AAR was deleted from the internet. --
To his detriment, Osaki Satoshi didn't have the slightest idea of how to drive. More than once, he was only seconds away from running over unsuspecting passers-by. But over time, he at least had the basic operation under control to such an extent that no bystander had to fear for his life anymore.
He was making progress!
Now on Sunday afternoon, he sat completely tired in the editorial office with all his manes and sorted documents and cards.
Without waiting, one of the new shipyard informants rushed into the editorial office, whom he had only instructed in his work in the morning. So nothing could come of it in the short time. Surely the boy simply had a lively imagination.
Then Osaki Satoshi turned pale in the face and speechless!
"A gust of wind tore it away from an e-n-g-i-n-e-e-r."
"Aaannnd and further?"
"I caught it and ran away!"
In the hall, everyone grimaced. From a corner came a cry:
"Did they chase you?"
"No – I'm too fast for the old bags!"
"Well, the boy didn't fall for the mouth – that's for sure!"
"The plan still can't stay here. If they find this, we're all dead!"
Suddenly there was silence and everyone looked reverently at the piece of paper:
"Now the Navy is completely crazy!"
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It took a while for everyone to regain their composure. Osaki Satoshi paid the young informant handsomely and after he left, the plan was burned. The danger of being accused of espionage and executed was too great if the drawing was found.
A look at the maps was more pleasing. It was hard to believe, but because of the Christmas holidays and the turn of the year, many commanders-in-chief had probably decided to allow the troops to relax at home.
The Asian waters were literally empty!
It was true – it would take weeks before the French fleet could face a battle.
