During the Battle of Guadalcanal Island, many battleships with Japanese reinforcements aboard were sunk by American forces in the waters surrounding Guadalcanal Island, and the bodies of Japanese soldiers who were killed in action were washed ashore and scattered on the beaches in the Pacific Ocean.

　　 During the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Pacific War, a number of battleships with Japanese reinforcements aboard were sunk by American forces in the waters surrounding Guadalcanal Island. The bodies of Japanese soldiers who were sunk in vain, submerged in the Pacific Ocean, and killed in action washed ashore and littered the beaches. Transport operations by Japanese destroyers and cruisers carrying reinforcements and supplies to Guadalcanal Island were conducted at night and were known as "rat transports.

　Japanese forces landed on Guadalcanal Island in the southern Solomon Islands on July 6, 1942, and began building an air base. On the night of August 8-9, Japanese cruisers and destroyers sank four American cruisers; from August 23-25, in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, Japanese light aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines were sunk, and American destroyers were destroyed. On September 15, a Japanese submarine sank the aircraft carrier USS Wasp.

　The Japanese reinforced their Guadalcanal garrison of over 6,000 men and attacked the American beachhead on August 20-21 and September 12-14, and American reinforcements arrived on September 18. intercepted them. Two Japanese cruisers and two destroyers were sunk in the naval battles at Cape Esperance and the Santa Cruz Islands. The Americans had one aircraft carrier and two destroyers sunk, and from October 20 to 29 the Japanese unsuccessfully attacked to reinforce their ground forces.

　After October, American forces were further augmented: during the Battle of Guadalcanal from November 13-15, the Japanese sank two battleships, three destroyers, a cruiser, two submarines, and eleven transports. The Americans sank two cruisers and seven destroyers; on November 30, eight Japanese destroyers were repulsed in the Battle of Tassafaronga, one destroyer was sunk, and one Allied cruiser was sunk.

　By January 5, 1943, there were approximately 44,000 Allied troops on Guadalcanal, versus 22,500 Japanese. The Japanese decided to withdraw from Guadalcanal and carried off about 12,000 men in a destroyer sortie in early February. Japanese losses in the ground battle of Guadalcanal were approximately 24,000 men or more, while American losses were approximately 1,600 killed and 4,250 wounded.