Before the Konga class battle cruiser design was created, a similar type of British ship construction had been studied thoroughly (Thunderer, Neptune, Lion, and Indefatigable). During a council held on April 13, 1910, an order for a new class of ships was discussed, but a final decision was not made until May 23, 1910. In December 1910, during the Parliament meeting, the Japanese Prime Minister proposed construction of, as he described them in his speech, “huge armored cruisers” based on the British Invincible class.