At the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, "Shirataka" was stationed at Takao on Taiwan, and was assigned to "Operation M", (the invasion of the northern Philippines). In January 1942, "Shirataka" was assigned to the Netherlands East Indies theatre of operations, supporting the Japanese invasions of Tarakan and Balikpapan in Borneo and participating in the Battle of Sunda Strait on 27 February. From 10 March, she was reassigned to Admiral Nobutake Kondō's No.21 Special Base Force, Southern Expeditionary Fleet and was based at Surabaya. On 1 August, she joined Admiral Gunichi Mikawa's IJN 8th Fleet and in November, escorted convoys to Shortland Island and Bougainville. At the end of the year, she was based at Wewak. On 20 February 1943, "Shirataka" escaped from an attack by without damage while on an escort mission in the Bismarck Archipelago. "Shirataka" continued with convoy escort duty between Palau and New Guinea and the Solomon Islands through February 1944, joining the IJN 9th Fleet from 15 November 1943.