from 1868, the restored meiji emperor continued with reforms to industrialize and militarize japan in order to prevent it from being overwhelmed by the united states and european powers. the imperial japanese navy was formally established in 1869. the new government drafted a very ambitious plan to create a navy with 200 ships, organized into 10 fleets, but the plan was abandoned within a year due to lack of resources. internally, domestic rebellions, and especially the satsuma rebellion (1877) forced the government to focus on land warfare. naval policy, expressed by the slogan "shusei kokubō" (, "static defense"), focused on coastal defenses, a standing army, and a coastal navy, leading to a military organization under the "rikushu kaiju" (jp:陸主海従, army first, navy second) principle.