Battles of the Imperial Japanese Navy - Definition and Overview

Boshin War (1868-1869):

• Naval Battle of Hakodate (Imperial Navy victory over the remnants of the Shogun's Navy of the Republic of Ezo.)

First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895):

• Battle of Yalu River (1894) (Major naval victory over China)

Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905):

• Battle of Port Arthur (1904, land and naval victory over Russia)
• Battle of Tsushima (1905, major naval victory over Russia)

World War I (1914-1918)

• Some naval actions against German interests in the Far-East, in particular around the Tsingtao peninsula.
• Few ships diverted to Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea for escort duties cooperating with British navy.

Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945):

• Essentially support of land action.

World War II (1941-1945):

• Attack on Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941, destruction of the USN Pacific Fleet)
• Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse (10 December 1941, destruction of the British Navy Z force)
• Attack on Darwin, Australia, (19 Fevrier 1942)
• Battle of the Java Sea (27 February 1942, Japanese victory against US and Dutch forces)
• Indian Ocean raid, (31 March 1942, Japanese victory)
• Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942, narrow Japanese victory against the US Navy)
• Battle of Midway (5 June 1942, US victory, the IJN loses four carriers to USN aircraft attacks)
• Battle of Savo Island (9 August 1942, Japanese victory)
• Battle of the Eastern Solomons (24 August 1942, inconclusive)
• Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (26 October 1942, Japanese victory)
• Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (12 November 1942, US victory)
• Battle of Tassafaronga (30 November 1942, Japanese night battle victory)
• Battle of the Bismarck Sea (23 December 1942, US victory)
• Battle of the Komandorski Islands (26 March 1943, inconclusive)
• Battle of Empress Augusta Bay (1 November 1943, US victory)
• Battle of the Philippine Sea (19 June 1944, major US victory)
• Battle of Leyte Gulf (23 Oct 1944, major US victory)

See Also

• List of Japanese battles