Akizuki was designed around four twin Type 98 dual-purpose mountings, using guns praised here as effective roughly 4-inch weapons. The first ships' laying-down dates are given as June and November 1940. Japan was already moving towards war, so the timing of a major redesign mattered. Britain and America also introduced new guns during wartime. Their much greater industrial and construction capacity made such changes easier to absorb than in Japan.
Chapter · 25:12-26:19
Type 98 guns and the cost of an Akizuki redesign
A destroyer built around four twin Type 98 mountings offered useful dual-purpose firepower as Japan approached war.