Imperial Japanese Navy Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes... warships in World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
	Number of units
Battleships	11
Fleet carriers	21
Light carriers	4
Cruisers	45
Destroyers	141
Submarines	171

The Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

was the second most powerful navy in the Pacific War

Pacific War

The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...

 in World War II. It was the third largest navy in the world. During the first years of the war the Imperial Japanese Navy dominated the Western Pacific. However, after a series of defeats it lost control of the Western Pacific and collapsed by the end of the war. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.-History:...

 and the Navy Ministry

Ministry of the Navy of Japan

The was a cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It existed from 1872 to 1945.-History:...

. The naval air service

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.It was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and...

 was one of the most potent air force

Air force

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...

s in the world before its destruction in World War II.

Personnel Strength

• December 1941 — 291,359 including 1,500 pilots
• July 1945 — 1,663,223

Battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...

s

• 10 (plus 3 building)(1)
  • 4 Kongō class
    Kongo class battlecruiser
    The were a class of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy constructed immediately before World War I. Designed by British naval architect George Thurston, the lead ship of the class was the last Japanese capital ship constructed outside of Japan. Displacing upon completion, the vessels of this...
    
     — converted from battlecruiser
    Battlecruiser
    Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
    
    s. Built in 1913-1915.
    • Kongō
      Japanese battleship Kongo
      Kongō was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. She was the first battlecruiser of the Kongō class, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Her designer was the British naval engineer George Thurston, and she was laid down in 1911 at...
      
       — †November, 1944
    • Hiei
      Japanese battleship Hiei
      was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. Designed by British naval architect George Thurston, she was the second launched of four s, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Laid down in 1911 at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, Hiei was formally...
      
       — †November, 1942
    • Kirishima
      Japanese battleship Kirishima
      was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. Designed by British naval engineer George Thurston, she was the third launched of the four Kongō-class battlecruisers, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built...
      
       — †November, 1942
    • Haruna
      Japanese battleship Haruna
      , named after Mount Haruna, was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during :World War I and :World War II. Designed by the British naval engineer George Thurston, she was the fourth and last battlecruiser of the , among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built...
      
       — †July, 1945
  • 2 Fusō class
    Fuso class battleship
    The Fusō-class battleships were two battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy constructed during World War I. Displacing upon completion, and , the vessels of this class, were the first super-dreadnoughts of the IJN. They were completed from 1915 to 1917, both in Japanese shipyards...
    
     — built 1915-1917
    • Fusō
      Japanese battleship Fuso
      The Japanese battleship Fusō , was a part of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of the Fusō-class. She was laid down by the Kure Kaigun Koshō on 11 March 1912, launched on 28 March 1914 and completed on 18 November 1915...
      
       — †October, 1944
    • Yamashiro
      Japanese battleship Yamashiro
      Yamashiro was the Imperial Japanese Navy's second Fusō-class battleship, and was laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on November 20, 1913, launched on November 3, 1915, and commissioned on March 31, 1917. She was the first Japanese vessel equipped with aircraft catapults...
      
       — †October, 1944
  • 2 Ise class
    Ise class battleship
    Originally intended as sister ships of the preceding Fusō class, the of the Imperial Japanese Navy were considered sufficiently different to warrant separate classification....
    
     — built 1917-1918
    • Ise
      Japanese battleship Ise
      , was the lead ship of the two-vessel Ise-class battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which saw combat service during the Pacific War. Ise was named after Ise Province, one of the traditional provinces of Japan, now part of Mie Prefecture....
      
       — †July, 1945
    • Hyūga
      Japanese battleship Hyuga
      Hyūga , named for Hyūga Province in Kyūshū, was an of the Imperial Japanese Navy laid down by Mitsubishi on 6 May 1915, launched on 27 January 1917 and completed on 30 April 1918. She was initially designed as the fourth ship of the , but was heavily redesigned to fix shortcomings...
      
       — run aground in July, 1945
  • 2 Nagato class
    Nagato class battleship
    The were two battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The name Nagato comes from the Nagato province. They were the first battleships to be built entirely in Japan...
    
     — built 1920-1921
    • Nagato
      Japanese battleship Nagato
      Nagato was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy; the lead ship of her class. She was the first battleship in the world to mount 16 inch guns, her armour protection and speed made her one of the most powerful capital ships at the time of her commissioning.She was the flagship of Admiral...
      
      
    • Mutsu
      Japanese battleship Mutsu
      thumb|right|300px|Mutsu shortly after commissioning in c. 1922Mutsu , named after Mutsu Province, as per Japanese ship naming conventions, was the Imperial Japanese Navy's second Nagato class battleship...
      
       — †June, 1943

(1)4 Yamato class

Yamato class battleship

The were battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy constructed and operated during World War II. Displacing at full load, the vessels were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed. The class carried the largest naval artillery ever fitted to a warship, nine naval...

 (3 building(1 Shinano

Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano

named after the ancient Shinano Province, was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Initially laid down as the third of the battleships, Shinano′s partially complete hull was converted to an aircraft carrier in 1942, midway through construction. Over the next two...

converted to an aircraft carrier) and 1 cancelled later in 1941)

• Yamato
  Japanese battleship Yamato
  , named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing...
  
   — commissioned 1941, † 1945
• Musashi
  Japanese battleship Musashi
  , named after the ancient Japanese Musashi Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet. She was the second ship of the...
  
   — commissioned 1942, † 1944

Hull Number 111 was scrapped in 1943 when only 30% complete, and a proposed fifth hull, Number 797, proposed in the 1942 5th Supplementary Program, was never ordered

Aircraft Carrier

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...

s

• 7 heavy and 6 light (plus 6 building)(1)
  • Hōshō
    Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho
    Hōshō |phoenix]]") was the world's first commissioned ship that was designed and built as an aircraft carrier,The HMS Argus pre-dated Hōshō and had a long landing deck, but was designed and initially built as an ocean liner. and the first aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy...
    
     built in 1922
  • Akagi
    Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi
    Akagi was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , originally begun as an . She was converted while still under construction to an aircraft carrier under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty...
    
     (2)(ex-battlecruiser converted by 1927) — †1942
  • Kaga
    Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga
    Kaga was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , named after the former Kaga Province in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture...
    
     (ex-battleship converted in 1928) — †1942
  • Ryūjō
    Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo
    Ryūjō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down by Mitsubishi at Yokohama in 1929, launched in 1931 and commissioned on 9 May 1933. Her final design resulted in a top-heavy unstable vessel and within a year she was back at Kure Naval Yard for modification...
    
     completed 1933 — †1942
  • 2 Sōryū class built 1937-1939
    • Sōryū
      Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu
      was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Port Darwin and raids in the Indian Ocean before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.-Design:...
      
       — †1942
    • Hiryū
      Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu
      was a modified Sōryū-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was one of the carriers that began the Pacific War with the attack on Pearl Harbor...
      
       — †1942
  • 2 Shoho class commissioned as aircraft carriers 1940-1941
    • Shoho
      Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho
      Shōhō , the lead ship of her class, was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II...
      
       - †1942
    • Zuiho
      Japanese aircraft carrier Zuiho
      was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she participated in many operations, including the battles of Santa Cruz, Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf where she was finally sunk by American aircraft.-Design:...
      
       - †1944
  • 2 Shōkaku class
    Shokaku class aircraft carrier
    The was a pair of aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy built before World War II. Only two vessels were built in this class; and . Together, they formed the 5th Carrier Division. Both were lost in action during World War II.-References:...
    
     built 1941-still on trials and workup.
    • Shōkaku
      Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku
      Shōkaku was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. Along with her sister ship , she took part in several key naval battles during the Pacific War, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands...
      
       — †1944
    • Zuikaku
      Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku
      Zuikaku was a Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her complement of aircraft took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor that formally brought the United States into the Pacific War, and she fought in several of the most important naval battles of the war, finally being sunk...
      
       — †1944
  • 2 Hiyō class
    Hiyo class aircraft carrier
    The were built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Both ships of the class were originally laid down as luxury passenger liners before being acquired by the IJN for conversion to aircraft carriers in 1941. Junyō was the first of the sisters to be completed in May 1942 and the ship...
    
    
    • Hiyō
      Japanese aircraft carrier Hiyo
      Hiyō was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Begun as an ocean liner in 1939, she was purchased by the Navy Ministry in 1941 for conversion to an aircraft carrier...
      
       — †1944
    • Jun'yō
  • 1 Taihō class
    • Taihō
      Japanese aircraft carrier Taiho
      was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. With a heavily armored hull and flight deck , she represented a major departure in Japanese carrier design and was expected to not only survive multiple bomb, torpedo or shell hits but also continue fighting effectively...
      
      

Does not include Imperial Japanese Army

Imperial Japanese Army

-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...

 built aircraft transports.Amagi — sistership to Akagi both as a battlecruiser and as a conversion to an aircraft carrier, was destroyed during construction by an earthquake and replaced with the Kaga.

Heavy cruiser

Heavy cruiser

The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...

s

• 18 (plus 1 building)(1)
  • 2 Furutaka
    Japanese cruiser Furutaka
    was the lead ship in the two-vessel Furutaka-class of heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was named after Mount Furutaka, located on Etajima, Hiroshima immediately behind the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy.-Design:...
    
    built 1926-1927
  • 2 Aoba
    Japanese cruiser Aoba
    was the lead ship in the two-vessel Aoba-class of heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It is named after Mount Aoba, a volcano located behind Maizuru, Kyoto.-Background:...
    
    built 1926-1927
  • 4 Myōkō
    Japanese cruiser Myoko
    was the name-ship of the four-member of heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy — the other ships of the class being the Nachi, Ashigara, and Haguro....
    
    built 1928-1929
  • 4 Takao
    Japanese cruiser Takao
    was the first of four Takao-class heavy cruisers, designed to be an improvement over the previous Myōkō-class design. The Myōkō had proved to be unstable and required modifications, which were incorporated into the Takao design....
    
    built 1932
  • 4 Mogami built 1935-1937(2)
  • 2 Tone built 1941

(1) Ibuki ordered but not laid down.
(2) Mogamis designated light cruisers but were built to be up-gunned as heavies once the London Naval Treaty was broken.

Light cruiser

Light cruiser

A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...

s (by class)

• 20 (plus 9 building)(1) (This is not consistent with the following list.)
  • 2 Tenryū
    Japanese cruiser Tenryu
    was the lead ship in the two-ship of light cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Tenryū was named after the Tenryū River in Nagano and Shizuoka prefectures.-Background:...
    
    built 1919
  • 5 Kuma built 1920-1921
  • 1 Yubari
    Japanese cruiser Yubari
    was a light cruiser built between 1922 and 1923 for the Imperial Japanese Navy. She fought in World War II and was sunk by the US Navy.-Design:The ship originated as an experimental scout cruiser, which would have the combat potential of the standard Japanese light cruisers on a much lighter ship....
    
    built 1923
  • 3 Sendai
    Sendai class cruiser
    The were a group of warships operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Named after rivers, they participated in numerous actions during the Pacific War and were mainly used as destroyer flotilla leaders.-Design:...
    
    built 1924-1925
  • 6 Nagara
    Nagara class cruiser
    -External links: *...
    
    built 1922-1925
  • 4 Agano
    Agano class cruiser
    -See also:*List of World War II ships...
    
    built 1942-1943

(1)3 Katori (1 cancelled), 4 Agano and 2 Ōyodo

Destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s

• 108 (plus 43 building)(1)
  • 3 Momi Class Destroyer
    Momi class destroyer
    The Momi class destroyers was a class of twenty one 2nd class destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. All were named for plants. Obsolete by the beginning of the Pacific War, the Momi were relegated to mostly secondary roles, with some vessels serving throughout the war as patrol vessels...
    
     (2) built 1920-1922
  • 13 Minekaze Class Destroyer
    Minekaze class destroyer
    The was a class of fifteen 1st-class destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Obsolete by the beginning of the Pacific War, the Minekaze class ships were relegated to mostly secondary roles, serving throughout the war as patrol vessels, high speed transports, target control vessels, and as kaiten...
    
     built 1920-1922
  • 7 Wakatake Class Destroyer
    Wakatake class destroyer
    The was a class of eight 2nd-class destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-Background:The medium-sized Wakatake-class destroyers were a follow-on to the Momi class destroyer as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 8-6 Fleet Program from fiscal 1921 as a lower cost accompaniment to the larger...
    
     built 1922-1923
  • 4 Kamikaze Class Destroyer built 1922-1924
  • 12 Mutsuki Class Destroyer
    Mutsuki class destroyer
    The was a class of twelve destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. All were given traditional poetic names of the months of the year by the Lunar calendar or phases of the moon...
    
     built 1925-1927
  • 20 Fubuki Class Destroyer
    Fubuki class destroyer
    The was a class of twenty four destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Fubuki class has been called "the world's first modern destroyer." The Fubuki class not only set a new standard for Japanese vessels, but for destroyers around the world...
    
     built 1926-1933
  • 4 Akatsuki Class Destroyer built 1932-1933
  • 6 Hatsuharu Class Destroyer
    Hatsuharu class destroyer
    The were a class of Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers in the service before and during World War II. The final two vessels in the series, completed after modifications to the design, are sometimes considered a separate "Ariake-class".-Background:...
    
     built 1933-1935
  • 10 Shiratsuyu Class Destroyer
    Shiratsuyu class destroyer
    The was a class of ten destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy in service before and during World War II.-Background:The initial six Shiratsuyu class destroyers were modified versions of the , and had been originally planned as the final six vessels of that class under the ”Circle-One” Naval...
    
     built 1936-1937
  • 10 Asashio Class Destroyer
    Asashio class destroyer
    The was a class of ten destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy in service before and during World War II.-Background:The Imperial Japanese Navy was not entirely satisfied with the performance of the , particularly in terms of operational range and speed...
    
     built 1937-1938
  • 18 Kagerō Class Destroyer
    Kagero class destroyer
    The was a class of ships in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. There were 19 ships total in the class. The IJN called them from their plan name.-Description:...
    
     built 1939
  • 1 Yūgumo Class Destroyer built 1941

(1)27 Yugumo class and 16 Akatsuki class building
(2)Others of class re-rated as patrol vessels
(3)2 others of class converted to patrol vessels.

Submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

s

• 68 Fleet submarines
• 50 Ko-hyoteki
  Ko-hyoteki class submarine
  The class was a class of Japanese midget submarines used during World War II. They had hull numbers but no names. For simplicity, they are most often referred to by the hull number of the mother submarine...
  
   class midget submarines

Others

• 90 patrol ships, gunboats, armed merchantships, and submarine chaser
  Submarine chaser
  A submarine chaser is a small and fast naval vessel specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America...
  
  s
• 6 minelayer
  Minelayer
  Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
  
  s
  • Itsukushima
    Japanese minelayer Itsukushima
    was a medium-sized minelayer of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was in service during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. She was named after the First Sino-Japanese War-era cruiser , which in turn was named after Itsukushima, a sacred island in Hiroshima Prefecture of Japan...
    
    
• 42 minesweeper
  Minesweeper (ship)
  A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
  
  s
• 55 auxiliaries

Merchant Ships

Many under direct navy control as armed merchantmen.

• 1939 - 2,337 with 5,629,845 tons
• World War II construction of 4,250,000 tons
• 2,346 sunk

Aircraft

• Total 1750 first line with 370 trainers
  • 660 Fighter
    Fighter aircraft
    A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
    
    s
  • 330 Carrier based strike aircraft
  • 240 land based twin engine bomber
    Bomber
    A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
    
    s
  • 520 Seaplane
    Seaplane
    A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
    
    s and flying boat
    Flying boat
    A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
    
    s.

Commanders

Imperial Japanese Navy commanders at the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor: