What is it about?
Japan is shown to have massively overreached in its espionage activities in Asia and the Pacific, reaching even to Australia and probably New Zealand and nearby Pacific islands. While it had successes in China and even against Russia in the early 1900s, and pockets of excellence in Southeast Asia later (e.g. Singapore and the Philippines as well as Indonesia), it failed in Australia. This article explains why Japanese espionage gained very little traction in Australia, and even fewer successes, although significant efforts were made.
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Why is it important?
An interesting overlap is appearing between diplomatic history, military history and intelligence history - with Japan as no exception - examples of Japanese espionage in the lead up to the war show this interesting three-way nexus, opening the way for further research possibilities across these interesting and intertwined areas.
Perspectives
This was an interesting and enjoyable article to write. I hope readers of history, as well as Asian studies, also find it a pleasant and interesting article to read. The Australian National Archives staff in Sydney were invaluable and tireless in their assistance to me. It goes to show that while critical primary sources were destroyed, stories can still be told, although often the evidence is circumstantial and inferences need to be made. Japan's JACAR repository is also a treasure trove and its online access is exemplary. The little known Australian Army's Intelligence Museum is also an overlooked gem in this vein of research. I am hoping this research will reinvigorate further interest in the overlap between diplomatic, military and intelligence histories regarding Japan in the 1930s, and even in the immediate post-war period as the Cold War commenced in NE Asia.
James Llewelyn
University of Cambridge
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Pre-Pacific War Japanese espionage and propaganda activities in Australia: a case of too little too late, Journal of Intelligence History, October 2018, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/16161262.2018.1537035.
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