Battle of Changsha
In March 1941, Sumiyoshi was promoted to major general and commander of the divisional artillery of the IJA 3rd Division in July 1941. At the time, the division was till heavily involved in the fighting in China, participating in the First Battle of Changsha in September 1941 and Second Battle of Changsha in December 1941, and the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign in May 1942, In September 1942, he was transferred to command the heavy artillery of the IJA 17th Army during the strategically significant Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands, including the Battle for Henderson Field. Surviving the Japanese defeat on Guadalcanal, Sumiyoshi was withdrawn to Tokyo in April 1943 placed in the staff of the Eastern District Army until October of that year. This was essentially a home guard and garrison, responsible for recruitment and civil defense training to ensure the security of Tokyo, Yokohama, and the surrounding areas. He went into the reserves from October 1943.