The success of the German raiders in the war weren't lost on the Japanese. In 1941,the
Aikoku Maru and
Hokoku Maru, two passenger-cargo vessels built for the Osaka Shipping Line’s South America route, were requisitioned for conversion to Armed Merchant Cruisers (AMC). Before and during the Pacific War, Japan converted 14 merchants to Armed Merchant Cruisers.
Although the first two of these ships initially enjoyed some successes, the early sinking of the
Hokoku Maru and the pressing need for more transports to support their far-flung Pacific empire resulted in the reconversion of most of Japan’s AMC fleet. By the end of 1943, five of their AMCs had been sunk and seven reconverted.
