 Japan did not yet have the resources to acquire battleships and so planned to employ the "Jeune École" doctrine, which favoured small, fast warships, especially cruisers and torpedo boats, with the offensive capability to destroy larger craft.The Japanese naval leadership, on the eve of hostilities, was generally cautious and even apprehensive, as the navy had not yet received the warships ordered in February 1893, particularly the battleships and and the protected cruiser .Hence, initiating hostilities at the time was not ideal, and the navy was far less confident than the army about the outcome of a war with China.