Takao was the first of four Takao-class heavy cruisers designed to be an improvement over the previous Myk-class design. The Myk had proved to be unstable and required modifications, which were incorporated into the Takao design.The Takao-class ships were approved under the 1927 fiscal year budget as part of the Imperial Japanese Navys strategy of the Decisive Battle, forming the backbone of a multipurpose long-range strike force. Takao was built by the Yokosuka Naval shipyards, and like her sister ships, was named after a mountain. Launched on 12 May 1930 at the Yokosuka Navy Yard and commissioned on 31 May 1932, she was the lead ship