Following a decision by Field Marshall Hisaichi Terauchi, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group, the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (Indonesian: Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia, PPKI) was formed on August 7, 1945 "to hasten all efforts in relation to final preparations for forming a government of an independent Indonesia".
Meanwhile a group of pemuda activists, including Wikana, D. N. Aidit and Chairul Saleh held a meeting and decided to send a delegation to urge Sukarno to declare independence as soon as possible.
Hatta arrived later, and agreed with Sukarno, and the pemuda delegation left after a further exchange of angry words, with Wikana saying he could not be responsible for the consequences if independence was not declared on August 16 at noon.
[3] In the early hours of the morning, at around 4am, a group led by Sukarni, took Sukarno and Hatta to Rengasdengklok, Karawang, ostensibly to protect them from a pemuda uprising.
Achmad Soebardjo picked them up from Rengasdengklok after Admiral Maeda guaranteed their security and promised there would be no interference from Japan in the independence proclamation.