Admiral Yamamoto and the staff of the Combined fleet argued that the primary objective of the Imperial Navy should be the destruction of the United States Navy, and that prolonged struggle would be fatal to Japan. Therefore, he urged a thrust eastward and capture of Midway. The Battle of Midway has been called the turning point of the war in the Pacific. It marked the turning point because afterwards, the United States began to take the offensive while the Japanese were playing defense. The Battle of the Coral Sea had a great effect on the Battle of Midway, which in turn had an effect on turning the tide of the war.

Image of Yorktown with deck load of aircraft, At dock, Undated.
NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive

The Battle of the Coral Sea had given the Yorktown valuable battle experience. The Yorktown had been damaged in the Coral Sea, but it returned to Pearl Harbor on May 27, 1942 for repairs. What was judged a "ninety day refit" was completed in three days as the Yorktown departed to join the Enterprise and the Hornet on May 30, 1942. Coral Sea had also given a boost in morale to Allied sailors because it showed that they were not inferior to the Japanese and their Bushido warrior, fight to the death mentality.

In the Coral Sea, the Japanese had lost 77 aircraft and 1074 men. They lost the light carrier Shoho while the Shokaku and the Zuikaku were damaged. The Shokaku and the Zuikaku may not have been heavily damaged, but were held out of the Battle of Midway because their air groups were heavily reduced, cutting down on their effectiveness. These three carriers most likely would have been used at Midway had they been operational. If this would have occurred, it would have tipped the scales even farther in the favor of the Japanese Imperial Navy. It would have not only added more destroyers and other auxilary ships to the Japanese sides, but it potentially could have added over 100 operational aircraft to the Japanese side.