Japanese Aircraft Carriers in 1941: Fleet, Light & Escort

On 7 December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy operated:

• 6 fleet carriers: Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, Hiryū, Shōkaku, Zuikaku (core of Kido Butai).
• 4 light carriers: Hōshō, Ryūjō, Zuihō, Shōhō.
• ~10 escort/auxiliary carriers: Taiyō, Un'yō, Chūyō (converted liners), plus smaller auxiliaries. (The figure "sixteen" in some counts includes planned/converted merchant hulls not yet commissioned.)

Total commissioned carriers: ~10 frontline + ~10 escort/auxiliary. The six fleet carriers launched the Pearl Harbor strike.