ɪnðɪ ˈɜːli wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi z, nˈeɪvi mˈɪnɪstɚ kˌæwɐmjˈʊɹɹə sˌuːmɪjˈoʊʃi wʌz stɹˈʌɡlɪŋ tə ɹˈɛkənsˌaɪl hɪz dɪzˈaɪɚ fɔːɹ ɛkspˈænʃən ɪnðə fˈeɪs ʌvðə ɡɹˈoʊɪŋ tʃaɪnˈiːz beɪjˈɑːŋ flˈiːt wɪð dʒəpˈænz lˈɪmɪɾᵻd faɪnˈænʃəl ɹᵻsˈoːɹsᵻz.
In the early 1880s, Navy Minister Kawamura Sumiyoshi was struggling to reconcile his desire for expansion in the face of the growing Chinese Beiyang Fleet with Japan's limited financial resources.