Having learned that the war in the Ryukyu Islands had fallen into a disadvantageous position, the Island Nation Government could no longer sit still.
The Ryukyu Islands were very close to the Island Nation Mainland and could pose an even greater threat to all of East Asia. That was something the Island Nation was unwilling to see.
Even more crucially, the Island Nation was now clearly at a disadvantage in terms of air power.
If the Ryukyu Islands were occupied, then as long as Australasia established a large Air Force base there, the coastal cities in the southern part of the Island Nation could be bombed at any time.
And now, the only force capable of supporting the Ryukyu Islands was the navy, which was supposedly evenly matched with Australasia.
Of course, that so-called even match existed only in the Island Nation Government's imagination. After the failed surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Island Nation Navy's casualties had been greater than those of the Australasian Navy.
At present, the Island Nation Navy had a total of nine battleships, seven Aircraft Carriers, sixteen heavy cruisers, eighteen light cruisers, 106 destroyers, and seventy-two submarines, with a total naval tonnage of 1.07 million tons.
Australasia, meanwhile, had twelve battleships, ten Aircraft Carriers, six battlecruisers, seventy-seven destroyers, eight heavy cruisers, twenty-two light cruisers, and 249 submarines, with a total naval tonnage of 1.28 million tons.
Of course, because of Australasia's vast territory, its fleet had naturally been divided into the Pacific Fleet and the Indian Ocean Fleet.
The one responsible for waging war against the Island Nation Navy was naturally the larger Pacific Fleet.
The Pacific Fleet currently possessed seven Aircraft Carriers, four super-Dreadnoughts, three dreadnoughts, five battlecruisers, six heavy cruisers, twelve light cruisers, forty-three destroyers, and 217 submarines. Its overall size was roughly