In 1936, the IJN formed the Night Battle Force (Yasen Butai). As designed, the night battle force was to attack the hypothetical enemy's, usually envisioned by the Japanese to be the US Pacific Fleet, outer defense ring of cruisers and destroyers at night.
In 1936, the Imperial Japanese Navy formed the Night Battle Force (Yasen Butai). This unit was designed to target the US Pacific Fleet's outer defenses, which were typically imagined as a ring of cruisers and destroyers, during nighttime attacks.