The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) is an antagonistic organization from the 1940 series, based on the real navy which existed up until the end of World War II.
Real World Information[]
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍 or 日本海軍, Nippon Kaigun, literally "Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 until 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's defeat and surrender in World War II. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff and the Ministry of the Navy, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor of Japan as supreme commander of the army and the navy. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) was formed after the dissolution of the IJN.
The Japanese Navy was the third largest navy in the world by 1920, behind the Royal Navy and the United States Navy (USN). It was supported by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for aircraft and airstrike operation from the fleet. It was the primary opponent of the Western Allies in the Pacific War.
For more information see the Wikipedia Article
In the Games[]
The Imperial Japanese Navy features prominently during the first two titles in the series, 1942 and 1943: The Battle of Midway, where they act as the antagonists. In both games, the player controls the Super Ace, a U.S. Navy pilot whose mission is to fight through the IJN's forces. Most enemy ships in these games carry the IJN's ensign on their wings.
Due to the controversy regarding the depiction of the Japanese as enemies (since the series was created by a Japanese company for a Japanese audience), later games in the series drop the IJN in favor of using Nazi Germany as the main enemy force, though many of IJN's fighters still appear on them.