Kenji Hatanaka led the failed Japanese coup attempt intended to stop the 1945 surrender announcement.
The Kyūjō Incident took place during the night of 14–15 August 1945, just before Hirohito’s recorded surrender message was broadcast. Major Hatanaka and other officers attempted to seize the Imperial Palace, prevent the recording from being broadcast, and keep Japan from accepting the Potsdam Declaration.
The plotters killed Lieutenant General Takeshi Mori of the Imperial Guards Division and tried to locate the recording. They failed to secure support from senior commanders, including the Eastern District Army, and the coup collapsed before the broadcast could be stopped. Hatanaka later committed suicide.
The incident is sometimes described simply as a palace revolt, but it was an organized military coup attempt involving officers and Imperial Guard troops in Tokyo. Its failure allowed the surrender announcement to proceed as planned.