Later that year the IJN decided to convert her to an escort carrier, matching her sisters  and . The conversion took place in Kure Naval Arsenal between 1 July and 25 November 1942 and the ship was renamed Chūyō on 31 August. The Taiyō-class carriers had a flush-decked configuration that displaced  at standard load and  at normal load.
Later that year, the IJN decided to convert her into an escort carrier, comparable to her sisters  and . The conversion occurred between July 1 and November 25, 1942, at Kure Naval Arsenal, and she was renamed Chūyō on August 31. The Taiyō-class carriers had a flat-deck layout with capacities of  at maximum load and  at normal capacity.