some thoughts:
The IJN never developped an effective radar, but IJN crews were trained in night fighting and had superior binoculars and optics to the allies. In 1942 around Guadalcanal, there were many instances when IJN crews would spot allied surface ships at night 3-5 minutes before the japanese ships showed up on US radar.
IJN crews were very highly trained at the beginning of the war and this gradually tailed off as replacement and green crews came in. At the beginning of the war, there were many instances where US subs would attack a convoy or warship only to then be subject to a ferocious counterattack from IJN fleet destroyers.
However, the IJN never developped an effective ASW doctrine since they viewed ASW work as being "defensive" and beneath them. Therefore there were many flaws in their attack doctrine, they tended to set their depth charges at shallow setting (100 feet I believe), since they thought allied subs could not go much deeper. They also broke off depth charge attacks sooner than allied escorts, allowing many allied subs to escape.
As the losses mounted, Japan instituted a proper convoy system at the end of 1943, but never with the same level of dedication as the allies.
I have a couple of reference books at home if you are looking for specific info. WW2 naval actions in the pacific has always been one of my area of interest. I'll see what I have on IJN sonar and depth charges.
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