 Late on 15 January , Imoto reached 17th Army 's headquarters at Kokumbona and informed Hyakutake and his staff of the decision to withdraw from the island . Grudgingly accepting the order on the 16th , the 17th Army staff communicated the Ke evacuation plan to their forces on the 18th . The plan directed the 38th Division , which was currently defending against an American offensive on ridges and hills in the interior of the island , to disengage and withdraw towards Cape Esperance on the western end of Guadalcanal beginning on the 20th . The 38th 's retirement would be covered by the 2nd Infantry Division , in place on Guadalcanal since October 1942 , and the Yano Battalion , both of which would then follow the 38th westward . Any troops unable to move were encouraged to kill themselves to " uphold the honor of the Imperial Army " . 
