The Imperial Navy Was More Opposed to War With the West Than the Army

The Imperial Navy may have been more cosmopolitan in its outlook, but it was not above the type of spiritualized jingoism the old Imperial army employed. The navy made great hay of the story of Lieutenant Sakumut's Tomu, commander of an experimental submarine who went down with the ship alongside 14 crew members during a dive exercise. Frankly, that doesn't sound very different from the types of self-sacrificial stories the Imperial army used to promote. When push came to shove, the naval leadership signed off on war with the West rather than admit they had no chance of winning.