The launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906 by the Royal Navy raised the stakes , and complicated Japan 's plans . Displacing 17 @,@ 900 long tons ( 18 @,@ 200 t ) and armed with ten 12 @-@ inch ( 30 @.@ 5 cm ) guns , Dreadnought rendered all existing battleships obsolete by comparison . The launch of the battlecruiser HMS Invincible the following year was a further setback for Japan 's quest for parity . When the two new Satsuma @-@ class battleships and two Tsukuba @-@ class armoured cruisers , launched by 1911 , were outclassed by their British counterparts , the Eight @-@ Eight Fleet Program was restarted .