After serving for two years, Itō commanded Cruiser Division 8 (CruDiv 8) in November 1940 until his appointment as Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet in April 1941.
Efter at have tjent i to år, kommanderede Ito Krydserdivision 8 (KruDiv 8) i november 1940 indtil sin udnævnelse som stabschef for den Kombinerede flåde i april 1941.