Kwantung Army
Tatekawa was dispatched by Army Minister Jirō Minami to Manchuria for the specific purpose of curbing the insubordination and militarist behavior of the Kwantung Army. There was a growing concern by both military and civilian leaders in Tokyo that the Kwantung Army would take unauthorized action to provoke an incident leading to war with China. Tatekawa was sent with a letter from Minami to the commander of the Kwantung Army, Lieutenant General Shigeru Honjō, together with a second letter written by General Kanaya Hanzo, head of the Army General Staff. The Kwantung Army was forewarned of this visit by a message from Tatekawa's assistant, Colonel Kingoro Hashimoto. On arrival, instead of reprimanding the Kwantung Army leaders for their insubordination, Tatekawa said that everything could wait "until tomorrow" and spent his time in a "ryōtei" until he passed out from drink. That same night, the Mukden Incident occurred, which provided the pretext for the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. From Tatekawa's peculiar behavior the previous night, it can be surmised that he was aware of, and supported, the plot and had taken the deliberate decision not to prevent it .