Kammala wannan jumla: Tare da iyawar da ta yi na yin mummunan aiki da yawa sakamakon sakamakon yakin Midway, Japan ta zaɓi ta mai da hankali kan wani yunƙurin da aka jinkirta don kama Port Moresby ta hanyar
yakin basasa a yankin Papua. Amurkawa sun shirya kai hari kan matsayin Japan a kudancin tsibirin Solomon, musamman Guadalcanal, a matsayin mataki na farko na kama Rabaul, babban sansanin Japan a kudu maso gabashin Asiya.