A less specialized nine-gun alternative to the Tone class

Mitsumasa Yonai is identified as one of the few Japanese voices questioning whether the navy had put too much faith in attrition. Tone carried six floatplanes and two catapults on a fast, long-ranged hull, but the design was too committed to that single doctrinal solution. The proposed alternative used three triple eight-inch turrets forward in place of the historical four twins. It would preserve the stern aviation area while raising the main battery from eight to nine guns and potentially freeing the design to claim more protective weight. Aviation capacity did not necessarily require sacrificing a more balanced cruiser armament.