During the 1920s and 1930s, "Hirado" was mostly assigned to guarding the southern approaches to Japan, and made frequent port calls to Manila and Macau. From 1932, she was reassigned to patrol the northern coast of China, as relations between Japan and China continued to deteriorate after the Manchurian Incident, and she was based at Ryojun Guard District in the Kwantung Leased Territory. However, problems with her engines resulted in frequent stays in repair yards, and she was unable to participate in any combat operations in the Second Sino-Japanese War.