Fubuki (吹雪, "Blizzard")[1] was the lead ship of twenty-four Fubuki-class destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I.

Construction of the advanced Fubuki-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's expansion program from fiscal year 1923, intended to give Japan a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships.

From 4 December 1941 Fubuki along with Sagiri, the heavy cruisers Suzuya and Kumano formed the Support Force of Rear-Admiral Takeo Kurita for the Japanese invasion convoy from Camranh Bay, French Indochina to Miri (British Borneo) then to Kuching.

On 10 January 1942, Fubuki assisted the destroyers Asakaze and Hatakaze in rescuing survivors of the torpedoed transport Akita Maru, which had been sunk by the Dutch submarine HNLMS O 19.

[8] On 13–18 February 1942, Fubuki was assigned to "Operation L", the invasion of Bangka and Palembang, on Sumatra in the Netherlands East Indies, and took part in attacks on Allied shipping fleeing from Singapore.

[12] Fubuki has often been accused of launching the torpedo spread that accidentally sank four Japanese transports and a minesweeper during this battle, but recent research indicates the cruiser Mogami the more likely agent.

[13] On 12 March 1942, Fubuki was part of the escort Admiral Jizaburo Ozawa's cover force for "Operation T" (the invasion of northern Sumatra).

On 17–31 July, Fubuki sailed from Amami-Ōshima via Mako, Singapore and Sabang to Mergui (Burma) for Indian Ocean raiding operations, which were aborted due to the American invasion of Guadalcanal.