Sugiura returned to school, and became a torpedo and naval artillery expert. As a sub-lieutenant, he served on the Mutsu and the destroyer Kuri, and as lieutenant, he was executive officer and chief navigator on the destroyerYūnagi. After graduation from the Naval War College (Japan) in 1930, he was promoted to lieutenant commander. He was given his first command: the destroyer Tade, on December 1, 1930. He subsequently captained the Uzuki in 1931. He held a number of staff positions through the 1930s, including that of instructor at a number of the naval ordnance schools, and was commander of Destroyer Group 5 in 1939.
Sugiura was promoted to captain on November 15, 1940, and assigned command of Destroyer Group 17 shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Sugiura became commander of Destroyer Group 4 (Hagikaze, flagship, Arashi, Shigure and Kawakaze) on February 20, 1943, and was thus in a central role in the Battle of Vella Gulf from August 6–7, 1943.
On the night of August 6, Sugiura's force carrying 950 troops and supplies for New Georgia was ambushed by US Task Group 31.2 (USS Dunlap, USS Craven, USS Maury, USS Lang, USS Sterett, and USS Stack). All four Japanese destroyers were hit. Hagikaze, Arashi and Kawakaze burst into flames and were quickly sunk by gunfire. The torpedo that hit Shigure was a dud, damaging the rudder only, and she escaped in the darkness. The many Japanese soldiers and sailors left floating in the water after their ships sank refused rescue by the American destroyers. Over 1,000 Japanese troops and sailors were lost. During the battle, Sugiura's flagship destroyer was sunk, but Sugiura survived.
Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-914-X.
Calhoun, C. Raymond (2000). Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-228-5.
Crenshaw, Russell Sydnor (1998). South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf. Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-136-X.
D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN0-8159-5302-X.
Hough, Stan (1998). "H.M.S. VIGILANT. 1945". Stan Hough. Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2007-02-22.- Firsthand account of the battle by a member of HMS Vigilant's crew.