Geography, the nature of the Japanese government structure and the character of military leadership, all shaped how grand strategy was formulated. This chapter investigates the changing perceptions of the strategic function of geography between 1854 and 1945. It has four sections. The first assesses the literature, focusing on how the difficulty to 'name' Japan's war has limited analyses of Japanese grand strategy. The second part engages with the mechanics overseeing the development of grand strategy, exploring who were the 'makers of strategy' and what drove their interactions. The third part investigates the 'visions of strategy' articulated by Japanese military elites as the Second World War evolved, until the end of 1942. The fourth part looks at how, from 1943, unresolved issues among the army and navy and the inability to adjust grand strategy led to defeat, examining the 'failures of strategy'.