Oh yeah. You're preaching to the choir.
The decisive battle the IJN sought was fought... December 7th, 1941. Their war plan (if you can even say they had one) required a quick, negotiated peace. Pissing off the US by the PH attack (even had the war declaration arrived on time moments before the attack) guaranteed a protracted war—a war they knew they could not win.
BTW, another must-have book for the PTO enthusiast would be
Combined Fleet: Decoded. Oh, and
Kaigun, too.
tater