Operation Ten-Go was the final major naval operation undertaken by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War. Launched on 6 April 1945, it was a desperate attempt to oppose the Allied invasion of Okinawa, which had begun only days earlier. By this stage of the war, Japan's naval strength had been shattered by years of combat, industrial decline, fuel shortages, and overwhelming American naval and air superiority. Nevertheless, Japanese leaders hoped that a dramatic sacrifice might inflict casualties on the invading forces and demonstrate Japan's resolve to continue fighting.