The Minekaze class was designed with higher speed and better seakeeping than the preceding Kawakaze-class destroyers.

The turbines were designed to produce 38,500 shaft horsepower (28,700 kW), which would propel the ships at 39 knots (72 km/h; 45 mph).

As part of the conversion, her torpedo tubes were removed and her main armament was reduced to one or two 12 cm guns.

[1] Yakaze, built at the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki, was laid down on 15 August 1918, launched on 20 April 1920 and completed on 19 July 1920.

In 1931, Yakaze was teamed with sister ships Minekaze, Okikaze, and Sawakaze at Sasebo Naval District to form Destroyer Division 2 under the 1st Air Fleet as part of the escort of the aircraft carriers Akagi and Hōshō to assist in search and rescue operations for downed aircraft.

[6] Due to damage and flooding incurred during the Attack on Yokosuka on 18 July 1945, she is towed to Nagaura and placed in No.