Takao (1930) was the lead ship of the Takao-class heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), commissioned on 31 May 1932. Built at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, she was named after Mount Takao near Kyoto, Japan—distinct from the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, which shares the same name. As one of the most powerful cruisers in the IJN, Takao featured 10 \xd7 8-inch (20 cm) main guns, a top speed of 35.5 knots, and a full-load displacement of 15,490 tons. She served in major Pacific War campaigns, including the invasion of the Philippines, the Battle of Santa Cruz, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Damaged by U.S. submarine USS Darter in October 1944, she limped to Singapore, where she was later attacked by British midget submarine XE3 in July 1945. Surrendered to British forces on 21 September 1945, she was sunk as a target ship in the Strait of Malacca on 29 October 1946.

Takao (1888) was an earlier unprotected cruiser, also named after Mount Takao, launched in 1889. It served in the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War before being decommissioned in 1911 and scrapped in 1912. It was not related to the 1930s cruiser.