After the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed the aircraft carrier while it was under construction, it was decided to switch to rebuilding Kagas hull—a process that had stopped amid the Washington Naval Treaty restrictions. The project mirrored aircraft carrier Akagi, except for the location of the funnels and the availability of a short flight deck. Kaga participated in the Shanghai incident and the Sino-Japanese War. After her modernization was completed, she participated in the Pearl Harbor attack, the Battle of Rabaul, the Marshall Islands campaign, and the Darwin bombing.