Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy
大日本帝國海軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun
The ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Founded	1868
Disbanded	1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Allegiance	Emperor of Japan
Type	Navy
Role	Naval warfare
Part of	Imperial Japanese Armed Forces
Colors	Navy blue   White
March	"Gunkan kōshinkyoku" ("Gunkan March")
Anniversaries	27 May
Engagements	Invasion of Taiwan First Sino-Japanese War Boxer Rebellion Russo-Japanese War World War I Second Sino-Japanese War World War II
Commanders
Commander-in-chief	Emperor of Japan
Minister of the Navy	See list
Chief of the Navy General Staff	See list
Insignia
Roundel
Ranks	Ranks of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Aircraft flown
List of aircraft

The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun^ⓘ 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun, 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender in World War II. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) was formed between 1952 and 1954 after the dissolution of the IJN.^[1]

The IJN was the third largest navy in the world by 1920, behind the Royal Navy and the United States Navy (USN).^[2] It was supported by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for reconnaissance and airstrike operations from the fleet. It was the primary opponent of the Western Allies in the Pacific War. The IJN additionally fielded limited land-based forces, including professional marines, marine paratrooper units, anti-aircraft defense units, installation and port security units, naval police units, and ad-hoc formations of sailors pressed into service as naval infantry.

The origins of the IJN date back to early interactions with nations on the Asian continent, beginning in the early feudal 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 shōgun of the Edo period, Japan's navy was comparatively antiquated 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 IJN saw several successes in combat during the early twentieth century, sometimes against much more powerful enemies, such as in the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, before being largely destroyed in World War II.