Timeline of the Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Navy

 

Timeline of the Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Period	Key Events & Milestones	Details
Late Tokugawa Period (18th c. - 1853)	Early Coastal Defense Theory	Lin Ziping pioneers modern coastal defense ideas in Haikoku Heidan (1730-1793)2. Russia and Britain begin encroaching on Japanese waters (1792-1811)3.
Opening of Japan (1853 - 1854)	Arrival of Perry's Black Ships	Commodore Perry's arrival in 1853 breaks 200 years of isolation4. The Shogunate revokes the ban on building large ships in September 18535.
Late Shogunate Navy (1855 - 1866)	Foundation of Modern Training	The Kanko Maru, a gift from the Netherlands in 1855, becomes Japan's first modern naval vessel6. The Nagasaki Naval Training Center is established (1855)7.
Early Meiji Era (1867 - 1872)	Establishment of Government Control	"Restoration of Imperial Rule" in 18678. The new Meiji government establishes the Department of Naval and Military Affairs in 18689.
Professionalization (1873 - 1888)	Modern Institutional Growth	Conscription Law implemented in 187310. The Ministry of Navy is formally established independently in 187211. The Naval Academy moves to Etajima in 188812.
Expansionist Wars (1894 - 1905)	The "Glorious" Navy Era	Major victories in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)13.
WWII & Collapse (1941 - 1945)	Pacific War and Demise	Initial success at Pearl Harbor followed by strategic failures at Midway and the Solomons14. The era ends with the rise of Kamikaze tactics and the eventual destruction of the fleet15.