"Aoba" was reassigned to the First Southern Expeditionary Fleet and arrived at Singapore on 24 December 1943. The ship remained based out of Singapore to the end of February 1944, escorting supply convoys to Burma, the Andaman Islands and along the Malaya coast. On 25 February, the vessel was assigned to CruDiv16, with which "Aoba" participated in the Indian Ocean raid during March 1944. Through April, May and June, "Aoba" resumed its escort duties through the Dutch East Indies and New Guinea. During a refit at Singapore in July, "Aoba" gained four triple-mount and 15 single-mount Type 96 25-mm AA guns and a Type 22 surface-search radar.