5/31    According to the History Channel, in WW2, the Japanese targetted
        mainly at big targets (battleships, cruisers, military airfields,
        etc) so didn't really hit civilian ships (food, support, etc)
        the way Germans did with their U-boats. In contrast the US targetted
        a lot of Japanese civilian sites. Why didn't the Japanese do the
        same thing? Were they afraid of retaliation or something?
        \_ The Japanese couldn't.  The Japanese correctly determined that they
           needed to destroy the American carriers first, which they failed to
           do (while losing theirs) at Midway.  Before Midway, they didn't have
           the control of the seas necessary to target infrastructure.  After
           Midway, they had bigger problems. -- ilyas
           \_ They had control of the seas prior to June 1942, and used it
              to attack any infrastructure they could (Philippines, India,
              Singapore, Australia, China, etc.)  Fact is that there wasn't
              nearly as much commercial or large-scale civilian shipping in
              the western Pacific for them to attack.  As for the carriers,
              imperial naval war games had seen their destruction as a
              "nice to have", but weren't particularly concerned when they
              realized that Adm. Kimmel had ordered them out of Pearl Harbor.
              The Japanese advances in 1942 were more focused on securing a
              buffer "rampart" against American attacks on Japanese oil
              transports from the Dutch E. Indies than the actual offensive
              destruction of US power after 1941.  Midway was just another
              attempt to deny the US a forward base, rather than part of
              a strategic offensive against US shipping or the W. Coast. -John
              \_ There was shipping, it's just that after the Japanese
                 simultaneously attacked Pearl Harbor, Malaya, Dutch
                 E. Indies and the Philippines, all civilian shipping
                 in the Western Pacific, South China Sea and the Strait of
                 Melaka, except those serving Japanese interest, pretty
                 much stopped.  I would bet there were still some ships
                 going from India to Australia, and from Australia to
                 the US though.
                 the US though.  Also, the Japanese had their hands full
                 protecting their own shipping, and did have have
                 protecting their own shipping, and did not have have
                 the resources to send uboats all over the Pacific
                 and Indian Oceans.  Compared to Germany, Japan is
                 much less self sufficient in terms of resources.
                 \_ Hence "not nearly as much".  The Japanese also never had
                    a coherent submarine strategy.  -John
        \_ Because most of the fighting took place in their waters.
        \_ Don't forget what the Japanese did in Korea and China.
           \_ also Burma and the Philippines.
        \_ The Japanese didn't have the resources. They were fighting a land
           war in Asia and they couldn't forward base any naval power (as
           America would be able to do in Austrailia). Attacks against America
           were limited to military targets out of necessity. Attempts to
           strike the US mainland were nearly non-existant. The goal was to
           control the Pacific, not to conquer the US.