Kuma was a Japanese light cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1918, launched in July 1919, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in August 1920. The length of the ship was 130 m, width 15.9 m, and a full displacement - 7,100 tons. The maximum speed of the Kuma cruiser was 36 knots. At the time of launching, the main armament was 7 140 mm guns in single positions, and the additional armament was, among others: two 80 mm cannons and four twin 533 mm torpedo tubes.
The Kuma was the first cruiser of the type to bear the same name - i.e. the Kuma. Cruisers of this type were in fact the enlarged Tenryu class, but had greater range, speed, and better armament. The combat career of the cruiser Kuma began very quickly, because shortly after its launch it covered the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Siberia, where these forces were engaged against the Bolsheviks during the Russian civil war. Kuma also took an active part in the war against China in 1937-1940. During World War II, Kuma fought in the Pacific, initiating these battles by supporting the Philippines landings in December 1941. For much of 1942 and almost all of 1943, Kuma protected Japanese convoys operating in the waters surrounding Indonesia, Indochina and China. The cruiser was sunk on January 10, 1944 by the British submarine HMS Tally-Ho.