was the final vessel of the four-member of heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which were active in World War II. The other ships of the class were , , and . Ashigara was named after Mount Ashigara on the border of Kanagawa and Shizuoka Prefectures.
Background
Ashigara was approved under the 1922 Fleet Modernization Program as one of the first heavy cruisers to be built by Japan within the design constraints imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty, and was one of the first of the "10,000 ton" cruisers built by any nation. Naval architect Vice admiral Yuzuru Hiraga was able to keep the design from becoming dangerously top-heavy in its early years by continually rejecting demands from the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff for additional equipment to the upper decks. However, during modifications and rebuildings in the 1930s, the final displacement rose to 15,933 tons, well over the treaty limits.
Design
thumb|left|Ashigara in drydock at Singapore, December 1942
The Myōkō class displaced , with a hull design based on an enlarged version of the . Ashigara was long, with a beam of , draft of and were capable of .
On 10 March 1937, Ashigara was assigned detached duty for a diplomatic mission to Europe for the coronation of King George VI. She departed Yokosuka, Kanagawa on 3 April, and called on Singapore, Aden, the Suez Canal and Malta on her way to Portsmouth, arriving 10 May. Following the 20 May naval review, Ashigara called on Kiel, Germany and the majority of the crew was allowed to visit Berlin, where the senior staff was received by Adolf Hitler on 24 May. On 31 May, Ashigara participated in the German Kriegsmarine Day naval review, celebrating the German World War I "victory" at the Battle of Jutland. She then returned to Japan via Gibraltar, Port Said (Egypt), and Colombo (Ceylon). The two warships stood by as Hoovers 330 crew got all 503 passengers and themselves ashore.
During the aftermath of the Battle of the Java Sea on 1 March 1942, Ashigara joined the rest of her class in tracking down the severely damaged heavy cruiser and her two destroyers. During the engagement, Ashigara combined fire with her sister ship to sink the destroyer , while her sister ships and finished off Exeter.