Who led the failed Kyūjō Incident coup against Japan’s surrender broadcast?

Kenji Hatanaka led the failed Kyūjō Incident coup against Japan’s surrender broadcast.

Hatanaka was a major in the Imperial Japanese Army and one of the principal conspirators in the attempted coup of 14–15 August 1945. The rebels sought to prevent Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender message from being broadcast and to keep Japan from accepting the Potsdam Declaration.

The plotters occupied parts of the Imperial Palace, searched for the recording, and tried to secure wider military support. They failed to persuade senior commanders to join them. The recording was hidden and survived the search, allowing the broadcast to proceed at noon on 15 August.

Hatanaka later went to the NHK broadcasting facilities seeking airtime but was refused. After the coup collapsed, he and fellow conspirator Jirō Shiizaki died by suicide. The incident shows that Japan’s surrender faced determined opposition inside the military.