 In mid @-@ November , Allied forces attacked the Japanese at Buna @-@ Gona in New Guinea . Japanese Combined Fleet naval leaders , headquartered at Truk and under the overall command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto , felt Allied advances in New Guinea posed a greater threat to the security of the Japanese Empire than an Allied military presence in the southern Solomons . Therefore , Combined Fleet naval staff officers began to prepare plans for abandoning Guadalcanal and shifting priorities and resources to operations around New Guinea . At this time , the navy did not inform the army of their intentions in this regard . 
