In January 1941, the dapper, slightly built Major Hashida arrived at Circular Quay carrying only a small suitcase. It was eleven months before Pearl Harbor and a year before the attack on Sydney Harbour. Japan was claiming to be neutral in the war. Believing there were no grounds to prevent Hashida from landing, the Army consulted its intelligence section, which proposed that he be ‘closely shepherded’ with a strict watch on his movements. He was met by Japanese businessmen and consular officials and made his way around the country, stopping at each major city and gathering brief intelligence on everything from Australia’s fortifications to its car industry. But what was the true purpose of his mission? In Major Hashida’s Notebook, acclaimed author Craig Collie has used Hashida’s own diaries, along with military and police archives, to tell the long-buried story of one of the most intriguing espionage operations ever conducted on our shores.
