Jaluit Atoll
On 15 October 1941, the 24th Raider Squadron (CruDiv24), consisting of "Aikoku Maru", , and was created under the Combined Fleet. "Aikoku Maru" and her sister ship "Hōkoku Maru" were forward deployed to Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands at the end of November in preparation for the upcoming hostilities against the United States.