 In 1933, he was promoted to captain, and in 1936, he received his first command, the cruiser .Shima became a rear admiral on 15 November 1939 and was Chief of Staff of the Maizuru Naval District.With the start of the Pacific War, Shima was given a combat command, and led the Tulagi invasion force that occupied Tulagi in the Solomon Islands on 3 May 1942 as part of "Operation Mo".