Page "Alfred Thayer Mahan" Paragraph 26

The IJN's pursuit of the " decisive battle " was such that it contributed to Imperial Japan's defeat in World War II, and so rendered obsolete the doctrine of the decisive battle between fleets, because of the development of the submarine and the aircraft carrier.

However, one could argue that the IJN did not adhere entirely to Mahan's doctrine, as they did divide their main force from time to time, particularly the extensive division of warships in a complicated battle plan that led to the disaster at Midway, and as such sealed their own defeat.