ˌɔn kəmplˈiːʃən, nɛnˈoʊhi wʌz ɐsˈaɪnd tə ðɪ ˌaɪdʒˌeɪˈɛn sˈɛkənd ˌɛkspədˈɪʃənˌɛɹi flˈiːt, ænd fɹʌm nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi, ʃiː wʌz ɐsˈaɪnd tə pɐtɹˈoʊl ænd kˈʌvɚ lˈændɪŋz ʌv dʒˌæpənˈiːz fˈoːɹsᵻz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðɪ ɪnvˈeɪʒən ʌv fɹˈɛntʃ ˌɪndoʊtʃˈaɪnə.
On completion, Nenohi was assigned to the IJN 2nd Expeditionary Fleet, and from 1940, she was assigned to patrol and cover landings of Japanese forces during the Invasion of French Indochina.