 Pari gbolohun ti o tẹle: Kaimei Maru ni a fi si ẹgbẹ ọmọ ogun 262, eyiti o ṣe atilẹyin awọn ọmọ ogun ọmọ ogun 14th, ti o ni awọn eroja ti Ẹka 16th ati Ẹka 48th ti o kopa ninu : Wọn gbógun ti Philippines. Nigba ikọlu naa, Kaimei Maru jẹ ọkan ninu awọn ọkọ oju-irin ọkọ oju-omi ogun ogun ti Japan ti o wa ni ayika 20 ti n gbe awọn ọmọ-ogun 7,000 labẹ aṣẹ ti Count Hisaichi Terauchi, Lt. General Masaharu Homma ati Maj. General Susumu Morioka fun awọn iṣẹ ti ipolongo ni ayika Lamon Bay, Luzon ni Oṣu kejila ọdun 1941. Awọn ọkọ oju-omi ikọlu naa ni atilẹyin nipasẹ awọn eroja ti Imperial Japanese Navy IJN pẹlu IJN Southern Force labẹ Igbakeji Admiral Nobutake Kondō, IJN Philippines Invasion Group labẹ Igbakeji Admiral Ibō Takahashi ati awọn ọmọ-ogun amọja ti Ẹgbẹ Ikọlu ti Philippines, 1st Base Force HQ labẹ Igbakeji Admiral Kyuji Kubo ni aṣẹ ti. 