Takeo Kurita
In February 1937, "Kongō" was assigned to the Sasebo Naval District, and in December she was placed under the command of Takeo Kurita in the Third Battleship Division. In April 1938, two float planes from "Kongō" bombed the Chinese town of Foochow during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Throughout 1938 and 1939, "Kongō" steamed off the Chinese coast in support of Japanese Army operations during the war. In November 1939, Captain Raizo Tanaka assumed command of "Kongō". From November 1940 to April 1941, additional armor was added to "Kongō"s armament barbettes and ammunition tubes, while ventilation and firefighting equipment was also improved. In August 1941, she was assigned to the Third Battleship Division under the command of Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa alongside her fully modified sister warships "Hiei", and the .