During the Battle of Midway on 4–6 June, Yamakaze was part of the Aleutians Guard Force under Admiral Shirō Takasu.
Takasu was a native of Sakuragawa Village, (currently part of Inashiki, Ibaraki), and graduated from the 35th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, where his classmates included future admirals Nobutake Kondō and Naokuni Nomura.
Amakusa Shirō | Shiro Amano | Shirō Takasu | Shirō Ishii | Shirō Fukai |