Pasure po kutorwa ko Guadalcanal, Mutungamiriri Mukuru wo Hondo yo Umambo wo Jhapanese, Ichimoto Ichikawa, wakapa basa ro kutorazve Guadalcanal ku 17o Hondo yo Umambo yo Jhapanese (IJA) yakacijikira ku Rabaul, pasi po kutungamiri ko Mutungamiriri Mukuru Harukichi Hyakutake. Hondo iyi yaizobesehwa ngo divi ro majinja o Jhapanese, kubatanija Cikwata co Combined Fleet caitungamirihwa ndi Isoroku Yamamoto, cainga no mutungamiriri mukuru pa Truk. 17o Hondo yo Hondo, pa nguva yondhoyo yainga yakabatikana maningi-ningi mu hondo yo Jhapanese mu New Guinea, yainga no zvikwata zvicidoko basi. Pa izvi, 35o Infantry Brigade yaitungamirihwa ndi Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi yainga iri ku Palau, 4o (Aoba) Infantry Regiment yainga ku Firipina, zve 28o (IJA) Infantry Regiment, yaitungamirihwa ndi Ichimoto Ichikawa, yainga yaka
Mutevedzeri Mukuru Harukichi Hyakutake