Operation Ten-Go
In early April 1945, Ito commanded the last major offensive by the Imperial Japanese Navy when he led the battleship on its final sortie accompanied by the light cruiser "Yahagi" and eight destroyers in Operation Ten-Go, which aimed to destroy US naval forces during the Battle of Okinawa. Itō initially opposed the mission, which he viewed as futile and wasteful, but ultimately relented, after being informed that the Emperor was expecting the Navy to mount some kind of attack. On April 7, the Japanese ships were spotted heading for Okinawa and were subsequently attacked by several hundred American carrier aircraft. With no Japanese air support available, the "Yamato" and several of its escorts were overwhelmed and sunk by multiple bomb and torpedo hits. After ordering the mission cancelled and for the remaining escorts to rescue survivors, Itō chose to go down with the "Yamato".