Hatanaka served in the Military Affairs Section of the Japanese
Ministry of War at the end of
World War II. As one of the leaders of a group of Japanese officers determined to prevent the acceptance of the
Potsdam Declaration and therefore the
surrender of Japan, Hatanaka attempted
a coup d'état on 14–15 August 1945. Failing to obtain the support of the
War Minister, General
Korechika Anami, Hatanaka organised a number of other officers and succeeded in occupying the
Imperial Palace and
Imperial Household Ministry. Still needing high-level support for his cause, he tried to enlist Lieutenant General
Takeshi Mori, commander of the
1st Imperial Guard Division. Mori was non-committal and a frustrated Hatanaka shot and killed him. Hatanaka and his men then spent several hours searching for the recording that had been made of the Emperor's speech announcing the surrender of Japan, and which was meant for public broadcast. When he failed to locate the recordings, he occupied the
NHK Building in an attempt to prevent the speech from being broadcast. However, still without high level support and the recordings, Hatanaka abandoned his coup after receiving direct orders to do so from
Eastern District Army Headquarters. Following the failure of the coup, Hatanaka traveled to the plaza fronting the Imperial Palace. Along with his fellow conspirator, Lieutenant Colonel
Jirō Shiizaki, he shot himself. In Hatanaka's pocket was found his
death poem: ==In popular culture==