小沢治三郎
On 28 October 1935, Captain Jisaburō Ozawa assumed command of "Haruna". On 1 June 1936, she was assigned to the Third Battleship Division of the First Fleet. Throughout 1937, "Haruna" conducted extensive gunnery drills and patrols off the coast of China, primarily in the vicinity of Tsingtao. On 7 July 1937, Japan officially declared war on China, thus beginning the Sino-Japanese War. One month later, "Haruna" transported Japanese Army forces to mainland China in preparation for campaigns into Chinese Nationalist territory. On 1 December 1937, she was again placed in reserve. On 2 April 1940, she was transferred from Sasebo to Taiwan. She was redesignated as a "special service ship" on 15 November 1940, and five months later was attached to the Third Battleship Division of the First Fleet, based in Hashirajima.