However, due to budgetary limitations and in response to the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, the designs of both vessels were scaled down, and Shirataka was called on to serve as a dual-purpose netlayer/minelayer.

In the second half of 1934, after the Tomozuru incident, she was reconstructed at Kure Naval Arsenal with additional ballast and a lowered bridge and funnel, resulting in an almost complete rebuild by May 1936.

In November 1940, Shirataka was reconstructed into an escort patrol vessel by addition of 36 depth charges and was reassigned to the IJN 3rd Fleet on 1 December 1941 under the overall command of Admiral Ibō Takahashi.

At the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Shirataka was stationed at Takao on Taiwan, and was assigned to "Operation M", (the invasion of the northern Philippines).

In January 1942, Shirataka was assigned to the Netherlands East Indies theatre of operations, supporting the Japanese invasions of Tarakan and Balikpapan in Borneo and participating in the Battle of Sunda Strait on 27 February.

Shirataka continued with convoy escort duty between Palau and New Guinea and the Solomon Islands through February 1944, joining the IJN 9th Fleet from 15 November 1943.