Why Taiho's hangar size did not guarantee a full air group

Would a roughly 39,000-ton standard-displacement Taiho be large enough for ninety-six aircraft and thirty reserves?

Possibly, with a rough estimate suggesting 3,000-4,000 extra tons could suffice, but a proper design study is required and pilot availability remains a separate limit.

The proposed air group is ninety-six aircraft with thirty more in reserve, on an enlarged Taiho of roughly 39,000 tons standard displacement. A reliable answer would require a complete design study. As a rough estimate from hull and hangar proportions, Alex suggests that an increase of 3,000-4,000 tons might suffice. His calculation uses a Japanese historian's figure of eighty-two planned active aircraft, while acknowledging English-language sources that give ninety-six and the importance of how stored aircraft are counted. The ship actually operated about sixty-five aircraft, so design capacity, reserves, and the embarked combat group must remain distinct. Before American submarines severely disrupted Japanese coastal shipping, aircraft and flight-deck construction remained possible, but even obtaining enough pilots with basic carrier qualifications was a persistent constraint.