 In 1927 Honjō was promoted to lieutenant general and became commander of the IJA 10th Division in 1928.In 1931 he was made commander in chief of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria, commanding the forces during the Mukden Incident and invasion of Manchuria.When Honjō was relieved of command in 1932 for insubordination, he returned to Japan as a national hero, and was made a member of the Supreme War Council from 1932 to 1933.