ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
Enjoy the popcorn if you so wish, topeverest. No meta-agenda here, but I'm pleased this is entertaining. [;)]
It's interesting to see the parsimony and off topic self-congratulatory back patting from some posters on this thread. "In addition..." seems to be the modus operandi for the forthcoming literary hijack in this thread and other threads like it.
I'm with Chickenboy here. Even if KB due to its position is irrelevant in the context of success or failure of a particular operation, the operation itself will likely have to be modified and restricted due to the existence of the KB anywhere on the map. And the operation itself happens ON the map, in a context, and not in a vacuum. While to an operation itself the KB might be irrelevant, for what happens elsewhere on the map when the operation kicks off and the IJN HQ realizes that the KB is way or another irrelevant, the existence and position are still far from irrelevant to, say, some major Allied hub(just for example) within strike range of 4-5 days' sail from where ever the KB is, especially if this operation the KB is irrelevant to includes the use of Allies' own heavy assets.
KB stops being a threat when its sunk, not any before. SigInt, aerial reconnaissance and search and plane sightings can and will be inaccurate, lacking or plain wrong, and sooner or later Murphy hits, and when that happens when it comes to estimating KB's possible, likely or even confirmed position, its fuel, plane, damage and ordnance situation and its reach and mobility, it'll most likely hurt you more than the Japanese.