As a result of the survival of Itō Hirobumi, Japan's course in history was forever changed. In OTL, Japan became a highly militaristic nation during the first half of the twentieth century. Because of this militarism, the Japanese military and government began to focus more on the spiritual aspects of warfare, instead of developing advanced technology and weapons. This caused Japan to fall significantly behind other major nations technologically in certain areas, such as anti-submarine warfare, which contributed to their defeat in WWII.