Nobutake Kondō
During the Battle of Midway on 4–6 June, "Kawakaze" was part of the Aleutians Guard Force under Admiral Shirō Takasu, however, on 14 July she was assigned back to the IJN 2nd Fleet and returned to Truk in mid-August together with the aircraft carrier . On 21 August, while patrolling off of Guadalcanal, "Kawakaze" sunk the American destroyer . She participated in the Bombardment of Henderson Field on 24 August and was part of the escort for Japanese troop ships at the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. In the remainder of August through early November, "Kawakaze" participated in ten "Tokyo Express" high speed transport runs or surface attack missions to Guadalcanal, as well as participating briefly in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October under Admiral Nobutake Kondō. During the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on the night of 12–13 November 1942, "Kawakaze" rescued 550 survivors from the torpedoed transport "Brisbane Maru". For the rest of the month, "Kawakaze" patrolled between Shortland Island, Buna and Rabaul.