 Operation Ke ( ケ号作戦 ) was the largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal at the conclusion of the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II . The operation took place between 14 January and 7 February 1943 , and involved both army and navy forces under the overall direction of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters ( IGH ) . Commanders of the operation included Isoroku Yamamoto and Hitoshi Imamura . 
