:North American Task Force

{{Main|Imperial Japanese Navy in World War I}}

As Canada emerged from the 19th century it still depended on the British Royal Navy for maritime defence. As the British and the Germans entered a naval arms race; the British, concerned that the Germans would outproduce them, asked their Dominion governments to contribute financially to the building of new ships at the 1909 Imperial Conference.{{cite book| last1 =Francis|first1=R.D.|first2=Richard|last2= Jones|first3=Donald|last3=Smith| title = Destinies: Canadian History Since Confederation| year = 2007| edition = Nov 30 2007| pages = 122-123| publisher = Publisher: Nelson College Indigenous; 6 edition| isbn = 978-0-17-644242-2| url = https://archive.org/details/destiniescanadia0000fran_w5v1/page/122}}{{cite book| last1 = Bercuson|first1=David J.|first2=J. L.|last2=Granatstein| title = Dictionary of Canadian Military History| year = 1992| edition = November 1, 1992| pages = [https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofcana00berc/page/142 142–143]| publisher = Oxford University Press| isbn = 0-19-540847-0| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofcana00berc/page/142}} This request imposed upon the Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier became known as the "naval question". Due to internal conflicts Laurier decided that, instead of giving money to the British Royal Navy, Canada would build its own Navy. A few ships were built or bought by the fledgling Canadian Navy but the decision was unpopular in Canada and contributed to the downfall of the Laurier government.

In the years leading up to World War I, Japan increased its presence near the West coast of North America. In early 1914, Japanese cruisers sailed the Pacific coast of America and Canada with a significant number visiting Canada's west coast,{{cite book | last = Desmond Morton| authorlink = Desmond Morton (historian)| title = A Military History of Canada| date = 7 August 2007|edition= Aug 7 2007|page= 126 | publisher = McClelland & Stewart; 5 edition| isbn= 978-0-7710-6481-4 }} including {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Asama||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Azuma||2}} which visited Vancouver in June 1914.{{cite book |author1=Mitsuo Yesaki |author2=Harold Steves |author3=Kathy Steves | title = Steveston Cannery Row: an illustrated history|year=2005 |edition= 2005|page= 66 | publisher = Mitsuo Yesaki| isbn= 0-9683807-1-9}} The ships and Vice-Admiral Kuroi, his captains, staff and the cadets were given a reception by the provincial government. The band of the 88th Fusiliers played for the occasion.{{cite book | last = E. Mowbray Tate| title = Transpacific steam: the story of steam navigation from the Pacific Coast of North America to the Far East and the Antipodes, 1867-1941| year = 1986|edition= 1986|page= 213 | publisher = Associated University Presses| isbn= 0-8453-4792-6 }}

When World War I broke out in 1914, Canada's outdated ships were tasked with defence of the Atlantic shipping lifeline to the UK. The Royal Navy decided to concentrate on the Atlantic theatre with the defence of Canada's west coast left to its ally, Imperial Japan.{{cite web|date = 2009|url = http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org/resource_pages/coastal_defence/subs.html|title = CC1 and CC2 — British Columbia's Submarine Fleet|work = navalandmilitarymuseum|publisher = CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum|accessdate = August 14, 2009|last = Starr J. Sinton|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090626052021/http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org/resource_pages/coastal_defence/subs.html|archivedate = June 26, 2009}} Newspapers at the time claimed that if it was not for the Japanese Navy the German Imperial Navy would have "shelled Victoria and Vancouver to fragments."{{cite book | last = Robert Farquharson| title = For your tomorrow: Canadians and the Burma Campaign, 1941-1945| year = 2004|edition= 2004|page= 10| publisher = Trafford Publishing| isbn= 1-4120-1536-7 }} Also on British request, the Japanese navy sent one or two cruisers from Vladivostok to Vancouver to assist in the transport of gold bullion.{{cite book |author1=Spencer Tucker |author2=Priscilla Mary Roberts | title =World War I: encyclopedia|year=2005 |edition= when |page= 611 | publisher = ABC-CLIO| isbn= 1-85109-420-2 }}

• 1st Special Squadron (Japanese Navy) - Fleet assigned to patrol Australia
• 2nd Special Squadron (Japanese Navy) - Fleet assigned to patrol Mediterranean
• Third Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy) - Fleet assigned to patrol Russian coast during the Soviet Revolution
• 2nd Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy) was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) created as a mobile strike force in response to hostilities with Russia, and saw action in every IJN military operation until the end of World War II.
• 1st Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)

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Category:World War I naval ships of Japan

Category:Fleets of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Category:Canada–Japan relations

Category:Japan in World War I

Category:Canada in World War I

Category:Military units and formations established in 1914

Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1918