Tone class and the need to find the enemy

The Japanese expected a Pacific carrier battle to reward the side that found the enemy and struck first, yet knew their fleet would be smaller than America's. Tone concentrated guns forward and seaplanes aft so the cruiser could search ahead of the fleet while preserving carrier aircraft for the main attack. British cruiser aircraft primarily supported their own ship and served as a secondary fleet resource rather than filling this dedicated fleet-scouting role. The layout exposes the decisive-battle logic of Japanese planning and the fear that inadequate information would magnify Japan's numerical disadvantage.