The Kyūjō Incident was the failed 1945 coup attempt that sought to stop Japan’s surrender broadcast.
The attempted coup took place during the night of 14–15 August 1945, shortly before Hirohito’s recorded address was scheduled to air. Army officers and members of the Imperial Guard tried to seize the Imperial Palace, place the emperor under house arrest, and locate the recording.
Major Kenji Hatanaka was one of the principal leaders. The plotters murdered Lieutenant General Takeshi Mori and attempted to use forged orders to control the palace guard. They could not secure broad support from senior commanders, and the recording was not destroyed.
The broadcast therefore proceeded shortly after noon on 15 August. The coup collapsed, and several leading conspirators committed suicide. The event demonstrates that Japan’s surrender was contested inside the military even after the emperor had decided to accept the Allied terms.