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Yeah, like no one's ever done that before.

The scenario supposes that the The Washington Naval Conference of 1921–1922 is wrecked by Japanese demands for parity, French intransigence, and Italian pride. These were all real issues that nearly derailed the conference, particularly on the part of France. A minor agreement is hammered out on battlecruisers and carriers, but nothing else substantial.

An attempt to try again in Geneva in 1927 also fails to get off the ground, but it does manage an informal agreement to a "battleship holiday", with no new ships started after 1927. This in turn is the groundwork that plants the seeds for the The London Naval Conference of 1930. It is here that the naval arms race is finally checked, and firm limits are set, although it has more to do with the world's economies being obliterated by the Great Depression than arms limitation.

A full treatise will come later, for what I seek now is anyone who has any info on Japanese shipbuilding infrastructure from 1920-1942. The best I could find was these threads:

Japanese Warship Construction by JWE

with this:


and
Alt_Naval IJN Fleet Data by Gary Childress

Does anyone have other sources I can look into?

Thanks,
Scot

Good luck.

No one--I mean no one--wanted to complete their building programs in 1921. The USA and Japan had drawn up their mammoth plans but, due to the war, had not gotten very far. If you allow for building and no Washington Naval Conference the plans would have gone forward but it would have been done in fits and starts. It would have boiled down to American RESOLVE to spend the $$$ to complete their program and Japan's desire to nearly bankrupt its economy to create the 8-8 vision.

A better answer might be found in allowing the Treaty to be done but CHANGE the Treaty. In my Treaty Mod Japan pushes for another capital ship and decides to complete one of the 16" Gun battlecruisers (IJN Ishitaka). Since we're looking at 5-5-3, the Americans and Brits are allowed to build TWO BCs (the USS Constellation and Ranger). Must be noted that tonnage doesn't match up so one New Mexico BB is retired as well as one R-Class BB.

Got to stay balanced and keep a strong perspective on what you are after when it comes to 'tinkering' with this part of the time-line.