Arisan Maru was first assigned to transport 6,000 troops of the Kwantung Army from Pusan, Korea to Okinawa and was then ordered to transport POWs from the Philippines to Manchuria, China, or Japan.
The vessel was named for a mountain in Formosa and was first assigned to transport 6,000 troops of the Kwantung Army from Pusan, Korea to Okinawa. The vessel was then ordered to transport POWs from the Philippines to Manchuria, China, or Japan. 
