Hei whakautu ki nga whakaekenga a Allied i Guadalcanal, i tukuna e te Kaiwhakahaere Matua o Imperial Japanese a Ichikawa Ichikawa te ope taua 17 o te ope taua a Imperial Japanese, he ope-nui-a-roto i te taha o Rabaul a kei raro i te whakahau a Lieutenant-General Harukichi Hyakutake, me te mahi ki te whakahoki mai i Guadalcanal mai i nga ope o Allied. Ko te ope taua 17th, e tino uru atu ana ki te pakanga a Iapani i New Guinea, he iti noa nga waahanga e waatea ana ki te tuku ki te tonga o nga Solomon. o enei waahanga, ko te 35th Infantry Brigade i raro i a Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi i Palau, ko te 4th (A) Infantry Regiment i roto i nga wai o Philippines, me te 28th (I) Infantry Regiment, i raro i te whakahau a Colonel Kiyonao Ichikawa, i te huarahi ki te moana mai i Guadalcanal.
Ko Kiyotake Kawaguchi