On 9 February, she suffered significant damage in a collision with cargo ship Toun Maru and had to be towed by the destroyer to Rabaul for emergency repairs, which allowed her to limp back to Sasebo by the end of March. Repairs completed by the end of May, Kawakaze returned to Truk, transported troops to Nauru in early June, and to Kwajalein in late June and Tuluvu on 1 August.
