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 transform her into an escort carrier, similar to her sisters  and . The transformation occurred at Kure Naval Arsenal between July 1 and November 25, 1942, and the ship was renamed Chūyō on August 31. The Taiyō-class carriers had a flat-deck configuration that displaced  at standard load and  at normal load.