It would not be the first time that the Japanese Navy used a British-designed/built warship (i.e. IJN Mikasa).
Yup. I think it was the Kongo Class battleships that were designed in the UK, with the class leader actually built there.
The current Kongo Class Aegis Destroyers are an interesting design. Based very much on the Burkes but with a tall superstructure evocative of the pagoda style used in their battleships. I’ve talked with ship architects and apparantly there’s no real need for them to be that tall, that it actually increases their radar signature (look at the South Korean Aegis ships, which are also based on the Burkes, for a comparisson). Which means the design is based in aesthetics, not functionality. So another message being sent ...