The following are some of the battles of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

:

Boshin War (1868-1869)

Boshin War

The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....

• Naval Battle of Awa
  Naval Battle of Awa
  The occurred on 28 January 1868 during the Boshin War in Japan, in the area of Awa Bay near Osaka. Involving ships of the Tokugawa Shogunate and Satsuma vessels loyal to the imperial court in Kyoto, the battle was the second naval battle in Japanese history between modern naval forces...
  
  , 28 January 1868.
• Naval Battle of Miyako, March 1869.
• Naval Battle of Hakodate
  Naval Battle of Hakodate
  The was fought from 4–10 May 1869, between the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate navy, consolidated into the armed forces of the rebel Ezo Republic, and the newly formed Imperial Japanese Navy...
  
  , May 1869 (Imperial Navy victory over the remnants of the Shogun
  Shogun
  A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
  
  's Navy of the Republic of Ezo
  Republic of Ezo
  The ' was a short-lived state established by former Tokugawa retainers in what is now known as Hokkaidō, the large but sparsely populated northernmost island in modern Japan.-Background:...
  
  .)

First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)

• Battle of Pungdo
  Battle of Pungdo
  The Battle of Pungdo or Feng-tao was the first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 25 July 1894 offshore of Asan, Chungcheongnam-do Korea between cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy of Meiji Japan and components of the Beiyang Fleet of Qing China.-Background:Both Qing...
  
   (First naval battle of the war)
• Battle of Yalu River (1894)
  Battle of Yalu River (1894)
  The Battle of the Yalu River , also called simply 'The Battle of Yalu' took place on September 17, 1894. It involved the Japanese and the Chinese navies, and was the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War...
  
   (Major naval victory over China)
• Battle of Weihaiwei
  Battle of Weihaiwei
  The Battle of Weihaiwei was a 23 day siege with a major land and naval component during the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895 in Weihai, Shandong Province, China) between the forces of Meiji Japan and Qing China...
  
   (Decisive Japanese victory in Land/Naval battle)

Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)

Russo-Japanese War

The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...

• Battle of Port Arthur
  Battle of Port Arthur
  The Battle of Port Arthur was the starting battle of the Russo-Japanese War...
  
   (February 1904, naval victory over Russia)
• Battle of Chemulpo Bay
  Battle of Chemulpo Bay
  The Battle of Chemulpo Bay was an early naval battle in the Russo-Japanese War , which took place on 9 February 1904, off the coast of present-day Incheon, Korea.-Background:...
  
   (February 1904, victory over small Russian squadron off present day Inchon)
• Battle of the Yellow Sea
  Battle of the Yellow Sea
  The Battle of the Yellow Sea was a major naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August. The battle foiled an attempt by the Russian fleet at Port Arthur to break out and form up with counterparts from...
  
   (August 1904)
• Battle off Ulsan
  Battle off Ulsan
  The naval Battle off Ulsan , also known as the Battle of the Japanese Sea or Battle of the Korean Strait, took place on 14 August 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War, four days after the Battle of the Yellow Sea.-Background:The Vladivostok Cruiser Unit of the Russian fleet...
  
   (August 1904)
• Battle of Tsushima
  Battle of Tsushima
  The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
  
   (May 1905, major naval victory over Russia)

World War I (1914-1918)

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

• Battle of Tsingtao
  Battle of Tsingtao
  The Siege of Tsingtao was the attack on the German-controlled port of Tsingtao in China during World War I by Imperial Japan and the United Kingdom....
  
  . Naval actions against German interests in the Far-East, in particular the capture of the Tsingtao
  Qingdao
  ' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
  
   peninsula.
• Few ships diverted to Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea for escort duties cooperating with the British Royal Navy
  Royal Navy
  The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
  
  . In the Mediterranean, a fleet consisting of one armoured cruiser, Nisshin
  Japanese cruiser Nisshin
  , also transliterated as Nissin, was a armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy designed and built by Ansaldo in Genoa Italy, where the type was known as the . Designed as a cross between a battleship and a cruiser, but with a very small displacement, it had the ability to stand in the line...
  
  , and eight of the Navy's newest destroyers under Admiral Satō Kōzō, was based in Malta
  Malta
  Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
  
   and efficiently protected allied shipping between Marseille
  Marseille
  Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
  
  s, Taranto
  Taranto
  Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
  
   and ports in Egypt
  Egypt
  Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
  
   until the end of the War.
• Seizure of the former possessions of Germany in Micronesia
  Micronesia
  Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
  
   (the Mariana Islands
  Mariana Islands
  The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
  
   (excluding Guam
  Guam
  Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
  
  ), Caroline Islands
  Caroline Islands
  The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
  
   and Marshall Islands
  Marshall Islands
  The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
  
  ).

Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)

Besides support for Imperial Japanese Army

Imperial Japanese Army

-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...

 operations, the Navy operations involved many landing operations by the Special Naval Landing Forces along the coasts and rivers of the Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

, French Indochina

French Indochina

French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....

 and along the Yangtze River

Yangtze River

The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...

 and its tributaries. The Navy provided much of the air support for operations in the first few years of the war in central and southern China.

• Battle of Shanghai
  Battle of Shanghai
  The Battle of Shanghai, known in Chinese as Battle of Songhu, was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Army of the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
  
  
• Battle of Beiping-Tianjin
  Battle of Beiping-Tianjin
  The Battle of Beiping-Tianjin , also known as the “Peiking-Tientsin Operation” or by the Japanese as the was a series of battles of the Second Sino-Japanese War fought in the proximity of Beiping and Tianjin...
  
  
• Battle of Nanking
• Amoy Operation
  Amoy Operation
  The Amoy Operation was part of a campaign by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War to blockade China to prevent it from communicating with the outside world and importing needed arms and materials...
  
  
• Battle of Wuhan
  Battle of Wuhan
  The Battle of Wuhan, popularly known to the Chinese as the Defence of Wuhan, and to the Japanese as the Capture of Wuhan, was a large-scale battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War...
  
  
• Canton Operation
  Canton Operation
  The Canton Operation was part of a campaign by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War to blockade China to prevent it from communicating with the outside world and importing needed arms and materials...
  
  
• Hainan Island Operation
  Hainan Island Operation
  The Hainan Island Operation, or in Japanese was part of a campaign by the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War to blockade the Republic of China and prevent it from communicating with the outside world as well as to prevent imports of much-needed arms and materials.Control of Hainan...
  
  
• Battle of Nanchang
• Swatow Operation
  Swatow Operation
  The Swatow Operation, was part of a campaign by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War to blockade China to prevent it from communicating with the outside world and importing needed arms and materials...
  
  
• 1st Battle of Changsha
  Battle of Changsha (1939)
  Battle of Changsha was the first attempt by Japan to take the city of Changsha, China, during the second Sino-Japanese War. It was the first major battle of the war to fall within the timeframe of what's widely considered World War II.- Background and strategy :The war had already reached a...
  
  
• Battle of South Guangxi
  Battle of South Guangxi
  The Battle of South Guangxi , was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.In November 1939, the Japanese landed on the coast of Guangxi and captured Nanning...
  
  
• 1939-40 Winter Offensive
  1939-40 Winter Offensive
  The 1939–40 Winter Offensive was one of the major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
  
  
• Indochina Expedition
  Indochina Expedition
  The , also known as the Vietnam Expedition, was a move by the Empire of Japan in September 1940, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, to prevent China from importing arms and fuel through French Indochina, via the Sino-Vietnamese Railway from the port of Haiphong through Hanoi to Kunming in Yunnan...
  
  
• 2nd Battle of Changsha
  Battle of Changsha (1941)
  The Battle of Changsha was Japan's second attempt at taking the city of Changsha, China, the capital of Hunan Province, as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War.-Overview:...
  
  
• 3rd Battle of Changsha
  Battle of Changsha (1942)
  The third Battle of Changsha was the first major offensive in China by Imperial Japanese forces following the Japanese attack on the Western Allies....
  
  

World War II (1941-1945)

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

• Attack on Pearl Harbor
  Attack on Pearl Harbor
  The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
  
   (7 December 1941, destruction of much of the battleship fleet of the United States Navy
  United States Navy
  The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
  
   (USN) in the Pacific Ocean
  Pacific Ocean
  The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
  
  )
• Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse
  Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse
  The sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a Second World War naval engagement that took place north of Singapore, off the east coast of Malaya, near Kuantan, Pahang where the British Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse were sunk by land-based bombers and...
  
   (10 December 1941, destruction of the British Royal Navy
  Royal Navy
  The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
  
   (RN) Z force)
• Battle of Makassar Strait
  Battle of Makassar Strait
  The Battle of Makassar Strait, also known as the Action of Madura Strait, the Action North of Lombok Strait and the Battle of the Flores Sea, was a naval battle of the Pacific theater of World War II...
  
  , (February 4, 1942, Japanese victory against USN and Dutch forces)
• Aerial attack on Darwin, Australia, (19 February 1942, Japanese victory)
• Battle of Badung Strait
  Battle of Badung Strait
  The Battle of Badung Strait was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the night of 19/20 February 1942 in Badung Strait between the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command and the Imperial Japanese Navy...
  
  , (18–19 February 1942, Japanese victory)
• Battle of the Java Sea
  Battle of the Java Sea
  The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, that sealed the fate of the Netherlands East Indies....
  
   (27 February 1942, Japanese victory against forces of ABDA, the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command
  American-British-Dutch-Australian Command
  The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command, or ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia, in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II...
  
  )
• Indian Ocean raid
  Indian Ocean raid
  The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March-10 April 1942 against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean. It was an early engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II...
  
  , (31 March 1942, Japanese victory against RN, Dutch, and Australian forces)
• Attack on Sydney Harbour
  Attack on Sydney Harbour
  In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia...
  
   (May-June 1942, Japanese victory)
• Battle of Madagascar
  Battle of Madagascar
  The Battle of Madagascar was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy-French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November.-Geo-political:...
  
   (May-November 1942, Allied victory against Vichy French and small contingent of Japanese submarines)
• Battle of the Coral Sea
  Battle of the Coral Sea
  The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
  
   (May 1942, tactical Japanese victory, strategic USN victory)
• Battle of Midway
  Battle of Midway
  The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
  
   (5 June 1942, USN victory, the IJN loses four carriers while the USN loses one carrier)
• Battle of Savo Island
  Battle of Savo Island
  The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , was a naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II, between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval forces...
  
   (9 August 1942, Japanese tactical victory, strategically inconclusive)
• Battle of the Eastern Solomons
  Battle of the Eastern Solomons
  The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the , took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campaign...
  
   (24 August 1942, inconclusive)
• Battle of Cape Esperance
  Battle of Cape Esperance
  The Battle of Cape Esperance, also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , took place on 11–12 October 1942, and was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy...
  
   (October 11 – 12, 1942, USN tactical victory, strategically inconclusive)
• Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
  Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
  The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or in Japanese sources as the , was the fourth carrier battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and the fourth major naval engagement fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial...
  
   (26 October 1942, Japanese tactical victory)
• Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
  Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
  The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
  
   (12 November 1942, narrow USN victory)
• Battle of Tassafaronga
  Battle of Tassafaronga
  The Battle of Tassafaronga, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of Savo Island or, in Japanese sources, as the , was a nighttime naval battle that took place November 30, 1942 between United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy warships during the Guadalcanal campaign...
  
   (30 November 1942, Japanese tactical night battle victory, strategically inconclusive)
• Battle of the Bismarck Sea
  Battle of the Bismarck Sea
  The Battle of the Bismarck Sea took place in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. During the course of the battle, aircraft of the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force attacked a Japanese convoy that was carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea...
  
   (23 December 1942, USN victory)
• Battle of the Komandorski Islands
  Battle of the Komandorski Islands
  The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was one of the most unusual engagements of World War II. It was a naval battle which took place on 27 March 1943 in the North Pacific area of the Pacific Ocean, near the Soviet Komandorski Islands.-Background:...
  
   (26 March 1943, narrow USN victory)
• Battle of Kolombangara
  Battle of Kolombangara
  The Battle of Kolombangara was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the night of 12/13 July 1943, off Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands.-Background:...
  
   (12-13 July 1943, Japanese victory, evacuation of Japanese troops successful)
• Battle of Empress Augusta Bay
  Battle of Empress Augusta Bay
  The Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, on 1–2 November 1943—also known as the Battle of Gazelle Bay, Operation Cherry Blossom, and in Japanese sources as the Sea Battle of Bougainville Bay Shore —was a naval battle fought near the island of Bougainville...
  
   (1 November 1943, USN victory)
• Battle of the Philippine Sea
  Battle of the Philippine Sea
  The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
  
   (19 June 1944, major USN victory, the IJN loses three carriers)
• Battle of Leyte Gulf
  Battle of Leyte Gulf
  The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
  
   (23 October 1944, major USN victory, the IJN loses four carriers while the USN loses one carrier)
• Battle of Okinawa
  Battle of Okinawa
  The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
  
   (April 1-22 June 1945, major Allied victory)
• Operation Ten-Go
  Operation Ten-Go
  was the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Other renderings of this operation's title in English include Operation Heaven One and Ten-ichi-gō....
  
   (7 April 1945, destruction of the )
• Battle of Tokyo Bay
  Battle of Tokyo Bay
  The Battle of Sagami Bay was a World War II anti-shipping raid off tip of Bōsō Peninsula on the night of 22 July 1945. It was the last surface action of the war. Destroyer Squadron 61 of the U.S Navy engaged with a Japanese convoy consisting of two freighters and two Imperial Japanese Navy small...
  
  (22 July-23 July 1945, USN victory)