Operation Ichi-Go
Hata returned to China as commander-in-chief of the China Expeditionary Army in March 1941. He was the main Japanese commander at the time of Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, during which Chinese sources claim that over 250,000 civilians were killed. Hata was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal ("Gensui") on June 2, 1944 following Japanese victory at Operation Ichi-Go.