Who led the 1945 coup attempt to stop Hirohito’s surrender broadcast?

Kenji Hatanaka led the 1945 coup attempt to stop Hirohito’s surrender broadcast.

Major Kenji Hatanaka and fellow officers tried to prevent the emperor’s recorded message from reaching the Japanese public on the night of August 14–15, 1945. The plotters opposed surrender and sought to preserve the war effort, even after the emperor and government had decided to accept the Allied terms.

The rebels searched the Imperial Palace for the recordings and attempted to seize the NHK broadcasting station. They failed to locate the records and could not replace the planned broadcast with a message urging continued resistance. Senior commanders did not provide the support the coup required.

The attempt is known as the Kyūjō incident, named after the Imperial Palace. Hatanaka fled after the plot collapsed and died by suicide on August 15. The surrender broadcast then went ahead at noon, becoming Japan’s public announcement that the war was ending.