Myoko: the treaty cruiser that exceeded the treaty

Myoko was the first recognisably mature Japanese heavy-cruiser design. The four ships were ordered and built in pairs, a recurring Japanese construction pattern. Ashigara was sunk by HMS Trenchant, Haguro by the Royal Navy's 26th Destroyer Flotilla in the Strait of Malacca, and Nachi by aircraft from USS Lexington, while Myoko was captured at Singapore in September 1945. Their stated characteristics include ten 8-inch guns, high speed, long range, and a standard displacement well beyond the treaty limit. The orders predated the Navy Party's later dominance and Japan's formal departure from the treaty system. Treaty constraints were already being stretched while Japanese policy still officially operated inside them.