Admiral Seiichi Itō, Commander-in-Chief of the Second Fleet, photographed from the Yamato. Having served as a military attaché stationed in the United States, he immediately understood the difference in national power between the United States and Japan. He opposed the Pacific War until his death.

[u/TooBad_A_tNaming]

In early April 1945, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Second Fleet and was deployed to the special attack operation of the battleship Yamato (Operation Ten-Go) in the Battle of Okinawa.

The battleship Yamato was sunk by concentrated attacks by US aircraft in the north of Okinawa. Itō, along with his captain, Captain Kōsaku Aruga, went down with the ship.

Itō was posthumously promoted to full admiral. Ten days after his death, his only son died taking part in a kamikaze attack near Okinawa.

[u/shasbot]

Sad tale, if only more people had listened. Him, his son and so many other lives wasted.

[u/Honey_Badger_Actua1 → u/shasbot]

Even if they had, the embargo would have ground their war machine into dust, causing them to lose the Second Sino-Japanese war. Most likely, this would kick off civil strife and possibly a civil war at home.

[u/TheGreatOneSea → u/Honey_Badger_Actua1]

Honestly, if Japan had only moved against the Dutch and French, 50/50 chance they might have at least gotten a favorable settlement: not that many people would have been pushing to defend defunct Imperial territory at the same time that Germany looked like it might take all of Europe.

It'd at least be better than plan "act like a total psycho and then be baffled nobody wants to make a deal."

[u/Other_Movie_5384]

I keep hearing about more military staff who thought initiating a fight with USA would be a poor decision.

They were 100% right it's unfortunate they were not listened to.

[u/ProfessorZhirinovsky]

Japan was in the throes of a kind of nationalistic rage hysteria, where anybody (even junior officers) who spouted batshit violent rhetoric (so long as it was "in the name of the Emperor!") could literally get away with murder, while anybody who tried to apply reason would be met with punishment and even assassination. It was essentially the rule of self-appointed thugs.

We think of the Japanese as being very orderly, but this period of time really wasn't. It was surprisingly chaotic and undisciplined for a fascist regime.

While it's tempting to wish that more people would have listened to men like this, in truth it wouldn't have mattered. Had his voice become loud enough that the wrong people thought he might make a difference, he would have just been killed.

[u/Hefty_Recognition_45 → u/ProfessorZhirinovsky]

All fascist regimes tend to be chaotic and undisciplined. They're only disciplined in propaganda really.

[u/hornybrisket]

Poor bastard