Jaluit Atoll
From 27 February to the end of March 1942, "Tachikaze" was based at Staring-baai, escorting shipping between Sulawesi and Singapore. The destroyer assisted in the Invasion of the Andaman Islands in April, returning to Maizuru for repairs at the end of the month. From June to the end of 1942, "Tachikaze" was based at Jaluit Atoll or Rabaul, escorting transports in the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands. The ship was heavily damaged in an air raid on 27 December at Rabaul, during which, Lieutenant Commander Yasumi Hirasata, commander of "Tachikaze" was killed.