Sentaro Omori placed the heavy cruisers Myoko and Haguro in the center, with a light cruiser and three destroyers on each wing. In this assessment, Japan's centralized command culture required a more senior officer when a formation needed greater freedom to act independently. Flag officers and their staffs added command layers to the screens. Mixing cruisers and destroyers also complicated maneuver because the ships had different operating characteristics. The American Fletcher divisions had broadly similar characteristics, despite variations in construction and boiler wear, and had practiced turning and acting together. Those differences in organization increased the thought and coordination needed before the Japanese formation could respond.
Chapter · 35:48-39:42
The Japanese formation mixed ships and command layers
Japan's two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and six destroyers had heavy guns and torpedoes, but a more complicated formation than the American destroyer squadron.