Hirado participated in World War I, as part of Japan's contribution to the Allied war effort under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
She was in the Japanese squadron which gave chase to the German East Asia Squadron led by Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee in 1914.
Hirado and Yahagi were in the Allied 2nd Southern Squadron led by the battleship Satsuma and commanded by Rear-Admiral Matsumura Tatsuo, patrolling the region around Sumatra unsuccessfully for the German cruiser Emden
On 26 March 1917, the British Admiralty further requested the deployment of Chikuma and Hirado to Australia and New Zealand to protect shipping against German commerce raiding operations.

After the end of the war, Hirado was assigned to patrol off the east coast of Russia to provide protection and support for supply convoys to Japanese ground forces in Siberia during Japan’s Siberian Intervention against the Bolshevik Red Army.
During the inter-war period, future Fleet Admiral Osami Nagano was captain of Hirado from 1919-1920 (his only ship command), and by Captain Zengo Yoshida from March to December 1924.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Hirado was mostly assigned to guarding the southern approaches to Japan, and made frequent port calls to Manila and Macau.
From 1932, she was reassigned to patrol the northern coast of China, as relations between Japan and China continued to deteriorate after the Manchurian Incident, and she was based at Ryojun Guard District in the Kwantung Leased Territory.
However, problems with her engines resulted in frequent stays in repair yards, and she was unable to participate in any combat operations in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Considered a reserve vessel in 1933 and used primarily for training thereafter, Hirado was officially stricken from the navy list on 1 April 1940.
Re-designated Hai Kan No.11, the vessel was moored as a barracks ship at Etajima, and then Kure.
She was towed to Iwasaki in December 1943.
The hulk was scrapped from January through April 1947 by a Tokyo-based salvage company, becoming part of the breakwater at Iwakuni port.
Hirado participated in World War I, as part of Japan's contribution to the Allied war effort under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. She was in the Japanese squadron which gave chase to the German East Asia Squadron led by Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee in 1914. Hirado and Yahagi were in the Allied 2nd Southern Squadron led by the battleship Satsuma and commanded by Rear-Admiral Matsumura Tatsuo, patrolling the region around Sumatra unsuccessfully for the German cruiser Emden
On 26 March 1917, the British Admiralty further requested the deployment of Chikuma and Hirado to Australia and New Zealand to protect shipping against German commerce raiding operations.
After the end of the war, Hirado was assigned to patrol off the east coast of Russia to provide protection and support for supply convoys to Japanese ground forces in Siberia during Japan’s Siberian Intervention against the Bolshevik Red Army. During the inter-war period, future Fleet Admiral Osami Nagano was captain of Hirado from 1919-1920 (his only ship command), and by Captain Zengo Yoshida from March to December 1924.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Hirado was mostly assigned to guarding the southern approaches to Japan, and made frequent port calls to Manila and Macau. From 1932, she was reassigned to patrol the northern coast of China, as relations between Japan and China continued to deteriorate after the Manchurian Incident, and she was based at Ryojun Guard District in the Kwantung Leased Territory. However, problems with her engines resulted in frequent stays in repair yards, and she was unable to participate in any combat operations in the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Considered a reserve vessel in 1933 and used primarily for training thereafter, Hirado was officially stricken from the navy list on 1 April 1940. Re-designated Hai Kan No.11, the vessel was moored as a barracks ship at Etajima, and then Kure. She was towed to Iwasaki in December 1943. The hulk was scrapped from January through April 1947 by a Tokyo-based salvage company, becoming part of the breakwater at Iwakuni port.
Japanese cruiser Hirado