Takao was laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 28 April 1927, launched and named on 12 May 1930, and was commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on 31 May 1932. Although the first ship in her class to be laid down, Atago was actually completed two months earlier. All of the Takao class were assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District, forming Sentai-4 of the IJN 2nd Fleet, and trained as a unit during the 1930s. She was captained by Captain Chūichi Nagumo from November 1933 – 1934, Captain Eiji Gotō from November 1934 – 1935, Captain Takeo Takagi from December 1936 – 1937 and Captain Tadashige Daigo from December 1937 – 1938. During this time, issues with their stability and seaworthiness due to the top-heavy design became evident. Takao and Atago were rebuilt at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal between 1938 and 1939, resulting in an improved design: the size of the bridge was reduced, the main mast was relocated aft, and hull bulges were added to improve stability. Maya and Chōkai were not modified as extensively, and can be considered mistakenly as a separate class. After rebuilding was completed, Takao and Atago patrolled off the coast of China in 1940 and early 1941. Pacific War At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Takao was commanded by Captain Asakura Bunji and assigned to Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō's Sentai-4 together with her three sister ships and provided gunfire support for the landings at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon in the Philippines. In February 1942, operating out of Palau, Takao was assigned to intercept shipping escaping from the Netherlands East Indies, sinking the Dutch freighter Toradja, British minesweeper and capturing the Dutch freighter Bintoehan on 1 March. On the same day, one of Takao floatplanes bombed the Dutch freighter Enggano. The next night, Takao and Atago overtook the old United States Navy destroyer and sank her with no survivors. Early on 4 March, Takao, Atago, Maya and the destroyers and , attacked a convoy near Tjilatjap. The Royal Australian Navy sloop defended the convoy for an hour and half, but was sunk. The Japanese cruisers then sank three ships from the convoy: the tanker Francol, the depot ship Anking, and Royal Navy Minesweeper-51. Two Dutch freighters, the 1030 ton Dutch freighter Duymaer van Twist and the 7089 ton freighter Tjisaroea were also captured. Takao Maya and Atago then returned to