The same night that the U.S. Marine Matanikau operation ended on 9 October, Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake—the Japanese 17th Army commander—landed on Guadalcanal to personally lead the Japanese forces in their planned large offensive scheduled for later in October.
Samme nat som den amerikanske operation ved Matanikau sluttede, gik generalløjtnant Harukichi Hyakutake – chefen for den 17. japanske armé – i land på Guadalcanal for personligt at lede de japanske styrker i deres storoffensiv, der var planlagt til senere i oktober.