During the Pacific War, she participated in the Battle of Guam in December 1941 and the New Guinea and Solomon Islands Campaigns in 1942.

The turbines were designed to produce 38,500 shaft horsepower (28,700 kW), which would propel the ships at 37.25 knots (68.99 km/h; 42.87 mph).

[4] Kikuzuki was one of six Mutsuki-class ships reconstructed in 1935–36, with their hulls strengthened, raked caps fitted to the funnels and shields to the torpedo mounts.

[6] Kikuzuki, built at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal, was laid down on 15 June 1925,[2] launched on 15 May 1926[4] and completed on 20 November 1926.

[3] In the late 1930s, she participated in combat during the Second Sino-Japanese War, covering the landings of Japanese troops in central and southern China, and the invasion of French Indochina.

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kikuzuki was part of Desron 23 under Carrier Division 2 in the IJN 1st Air Fleet, and deployed from Hahajima in the Ogasawara Islands as part of the Japanese invasion force for the invasion of Guam.

[5] After the capture of Tulagi by American forces, the U.S. Navy repair ship USS Prometheus salvaged Kikuzuki′s wreck, hoping to obtain military intelligence.