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IJN Carrier Power
by Dallas Stow

The arrival of Commodore Perry at Yokohama in 1853 sparked turmoil in Japan. It became apparent that Japan's two hundred years of self-imposed isolation had placed her in a weak position in relation to the industrialised Western nations and that she ran the risk of being colonised or dominated in the same way as China. The drive to modernise (and remain independent) that followed this realisation resulted in the creation of a modern, first-class navy.
At the beginning of World War II (WW II), the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) had a fleet of aircraft carriers with highly-trained crews who had combat experience, and it was arguably the world leader in the use of aircraft carriers. Why, then, were they defeated by the Allies after such a promising start?