Transferred to the Kwantung Army in 1933, Suzuki served in Manchukuo for three years as Chief of the Kempeitai and, shortly following his promotion to major in 1935, he became commander of the IJA 4th Infantry Regiment until 1937.

He returned to an administrative assignment at the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff in December 1939 and became head of the Third Bureau in March 1940.

Initially intended as a garrison force to withstand a long-term war of attrition, as the war situation on the Pacific front grew increasingly desperate for Japan, Imperial General Headquarters ordered the bulk of the IJA 35th Army to Leyte as reinforcement to Japanese forces in the Battle of Leyte.

At the time of the American landings at Leyte from 20 October 1944 Suzuki had 45,000 soldiers; however, the Allies decimated the Japanese forces by the end of December.

As the battle was lost, surviving units were given independent command authority, and were ordered to go to ground and wage a guerrilla campaign on their respective islands for as long as possible.