 the imperial japanese navy (ijn) (:  shinjitai:   or  nippon kaigun, literally "navy of the great japanese empire") was the navy of the empire of japan from 1868 until 1945, when it was dissolved following japan's defeat and surrender in world war ii. the japan maritime self-defense force (jmsdf) was formed after the dissolution of the ijn.library of congress country studies, japan> national security> self-defense forces> early development the japanese navy was the third largest navy in the world by 1920, behind the royal navy and the united states navy.evans, kaigun it was supported by the imperial japanese navy air service for aircraft and airstrike operation from the fleet. it was the primary opponent of the western allies in the pacific war. the origins of the imperial japanese navy go back to early interactions with nations on the asian continent, beginning in the early medieval period and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of cultural exchange with european powers during the age of discovery. after two centuries of stagnation during the country's ensuing seclusion policy under the shoguns of the edo period, japan's navy was comparatively backward when the country was forced open to trade by american intervention in 1854. this eventually led to the meiji restoration. accompanying the re-ascendance of the emperor came a period of frantic modernization and industrialization. the navy's history of successes, sometimes against
Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor Disbanded_navies Empire_of_Japan Imperial_Japanese_Navy Military_units_and_formations_disestablished_in_1945 Military_units_and_formations_established_in_1869 Naval_history_of_Japan Naval_history_of_World_War_II