 He was promoted to major general in 1936.Kuno became Chief of Staff of the Chosen Army in Korea from 1936–1938, and was thus involved in the dispatch of troops without orders from Tokyo in the Manchurian Incident in the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War.Promoted to lieutenant general, from 1938–1940, Kuno commanded the IJA 18th Division, which saw considerable combat during the 1939-40 Winter Offensive.