Sakito Maru was built in 1939 by the Mitsubishi Zosen Kaisha in Nagasaki for the Nippon Yusen shipping company.

[9] On 29 February 1944, Sakito Maru was carrying the Imperial Japanese Army′s 18th Infantry Regiment as part of Convoy Matsu-01, which was transporting the 29th Division of the Kwantung Army from Manchukuo to Guam.

The American submarine USS Trout (SS-202) attacked the convoy about 625 nautical miles (1,158 km; 719 mi) east of Formosa.

Oil and debris came to the surface and the destroyer dropped a final depth charge on that spot, sinking the American submarine with the loss of all 81 hands at the position 22°40′N 131°45′E / 22.667°N 131.750°E / 22.667; 131.750.

The men aboard Sakito Maru on that day included a subsequent Japanese holdout Sakae Ōba.