IT WAS TYPICALLY THOUGHT BY THE HIGH MILITARY BRASS THAT AN ATTACK BY JAPAN WOULD BE A GOOD TRAINING EXERCISE FOR THE TROOPS. AFTER ALL, HOW MUCH DAMAGE COULD PUNY LITTLE JAPAN DO?
“AFTER ALL, HOW MUCH DAMAGE COULD PUNY LITTLE JAPAN DO?”
They knew after the Russo-Japanese War that they could fight; they knew from the war in China that they would. They just left the obsolete ships as bait.