Under the command of Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi, they fought in the Battle of Borneo and a part of the Guadalcanal Campaign.

They lost their two attempts to take Henderson Field from the Americans during the Battle of Edson's Ridge, the first of which was on September 12 to 13, and the second on the 13th to 14th.

In 1941, the Japanese began a plan to invade the island of Borneo, which was split in ownership between the British and Dutch.

[6] On November 10, the Japanese War Ministry assembled multiple commanders, including Kawaguchi, and told them to prepare for an invasion.

Then, the air bases would be made ready for use,[8] and the commanders involved, including Kawaguchi, were to establish a military administration in the area.

Enemy air raids and torpedo attacks sunk three of their destroyers and damaged several transport ships, but they were successful; they captured Kuching on the 25th.

[19] During the ensuing Guadalcanal Campaign, there were two major Japanese groups who attempted to retake the island.

On August 10, the available units to retake the islands of Guadalcanal and Tulagi were Kawaguchi, Ichiki, and Aoki Detachments.

[20] Ichiki's attack failed in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons (started on the 24th), so the Kawaguchi Detachment were ordered to go to Guadalcanal island.

[2] The Battle of the Eastern Solomons demonstrated that transport convoys were not feasible for moving troops at the moment, so the detachment loaded onto four destroyers.

The barge carrying the 124th's II Battalion that planned to land on the night of the 5th, was mostly broken up by American air attacks, and many of its soldiers were scattered across northwest Guadalcanal and Savo Island.

Incoming soldiers to the airfield would be obscured by two large knolls, 80 and 120 feet above sea level, and a dense jungle.

[24] On the morning of the 10th, Edson's men set up at the ridge, and they were attacked by Japanese bombers, killing 11 and wounding 14.

Five companies of Raiders were put on the west, with their right flank being secured by the Lunga River running parallel to the ridge.

The 124th's I and III Battalions combined as they crossed the ridge, and they were the only groups of the detachment to actually make contact with the Americans that night.

Edson moved to set up a command post on a knoll in the center of the ridge, while Marines used mortars and 105mm-shell howitzer fire to keep their new line amidst Japanese charges.

[27] At 0200 hours, the line between Edson's command post and the division headquarters was cut, which hurt the artillery support.

The American Alexander Vandegrift, back at headquarters, sent out parts of his reserve battalion to support Edson, and together they staved off two more Japanese attacks between 0400 hours and dawn.

A company of the 4th's II Battalion penetrated the marine line, and 50 to 60 of its men reached the edge of Henderson's eastern satellite airfield, Fighter One, and overran a unit of engineers there.

[27] Even if the Japanese got to Henderson, they probably couldn't have held it, considering they would be weakened getting there, and have been in open terrain with little ammo and supplies, and no heavy gunfire.

On the 19th, they reached Kokumbona, on the western side of the Matanikau River, after a long march without any food.

[30] The 17th army wanted to establish a bridgehead across the eastern side of the Matanikau, to move heavy artillery across the sandbar by the river's estuary.

[2] On October 3, the Japanese 2nd Division was sent to the island with supplies, along with Lieutenant General[2] Murayama Masao.

[32] Because Kawaguchi was reluctant, Masao sent the 4th Infantry Brigade to the western side of the river's northern section on October 5.

This notified Vandegrift that the Japanese were planned an offensive, and on the 7th, two Marine units crossed the river to the west and moved north towards the coast.

[33] The Japanese wanted to get to Henderson Field through the coast, but there was no bridgehead across the Matanikau, and planners of the 17th army did not try to re-establish one.

[36] The brigade was reactivated on 10 February 1944 in Tokyo and stationed at the Andaman Islands under Lieutenant General Yoshihisa Inoue.

Inoue was reassigned to command the 94th Division and replaced on 23 May 1945 by Major General Noboru Sato.