The four
Myōkō-class cruisers were built for the
Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 1920s. Three were lost during
World War II.
The ships of this class displaced 11,633 tons (standard), were 201 metres (659 ft) long, and were capable of 36
knots (67 km/h; 41 mph). They carried two aircraft and their main
armamentwas ten 20.3-centimetre (8 in) guns in five twin
turrets. At the time, this was the heaviest armament of any
cruiser class in the world. They were also the first cruisers the Japanese Navy constructed that exceeded the (10,000 ton) limit set by the
Washington Naval Treaty.