Japanese Archives

New research shows WWII dominates Australians’ knowledge of military history. But big gaps remain

by History Guild | Nov 10, 2025 | History News, Military History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
Eighty years ago this week, Japan surrendered after nearly four years of war in the Asia-Pacific. For Australia, this meant the end of not only the war in the Pacific, but also the second world war that had begun six years earlier, in September 1939. In that time, around one million Australians – approximately 15% of the population – served in the armed forces. Over half served overseas, with nearly 40,000 killed and more than 66,000 wounded. But what do Australians today know about this epochal moment in our history? We surveyed 1,500 Australians aged 18 and older to find out.

Full Program Announced! Fighting to the Finish: Australia in 1945 – Strategy, Victory and Legacy Conference, Melbourne. Book Now.

by History Guild | Aug 17, 2025 | Military History | 0

Military History & Heritage Victoria is excited to announce that tickets are now on sale for...

Call for Papers – Fighting to the Finish: Australia in 1945 – Strategy, Victory and Legacy Conference

by History Guild | May 26, 2025 | Military History | 0

Military History & Heritage Victoria is excited to announce the Call for Papers for our next...

Menace at Home – Australia Under Attack 1939-1945 Conference – Melbourne 10th May

by History Guild | Mar 13, 2025 | Military History | 0

10th May 2025, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. This one-day conference will explore the numerous ways...

The Akikaze Massacre: the Japanese Navy’s Mass Murder in the Solomon Sea

by History Guild | Jan 2, 2025 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 12 minutes
When the Pacific War began in 1941, Japanese military planners had long recognised that they could not hope to win a protracted war against the United States, its likeliest and likely deadliest opponent in the Pacific. Instead, they pinned their hopes on a swift, devastating series of campaigns to seize strategic points.

Allied Outpost: the History of Goodenough Island

by History Guild | Dec 4, 2024 | Military History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 11 minutes
From the most ancient settlers, over 50,000 years ago, to battling empires in the 20th century, Goodenough Island has offered a vantage point over the Solomon Sea and an eastern gateway to the island of Papua.
A peacefully settled island for much of its history, Goodenough was also the site of one of Australia’s earliest daring successes in the struggle against the Empire of Japan.

Dive! Australian Submariners at War by Mike Carlton – Book Review

by History Guild | Sep 9, 2024 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 4 minutes
Dive! opens with the best description of the development and implementation of submarine technology and doctrine I have ever read. This could easily be part of a broader history of submarines, Carlton has clearly done broad and extensive research and his writing effortlessly demonstrates his command of the topic.

“IT WON’T DO TO PRETEND THAT WE ARE POWERFUL”: CHINA’S GERMAN-TRAINED ARMY

by History Guild | Aug 20, 2024 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 11 minutes
In 1926, a newly-unified China had millions of men under arms, but few who could wield them effectively. Determined to make the country ready to defend itself, Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek turned to an unusual ally.
For a decade, officers and experts from Germany’s Reichswehr oversaw the transformation of China’s army. While their plans were never fully realised, they had a significant impact on the war to resist Japanese invasion.

Life and death in Hong Kong during the Second World War

by History Guild | Aug 12, 2024 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 9 minutes
On 8 December 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces launched an all-out assault on Hong Kong, then a British colony. Following 18 days of brutal fighting, the defending troops surrendered and Hong Kong fell. The Japanese military occupation began.

The East River Column: the rebels who helped Second World War prisoners of war

by History Guild | Jun 25, 2024 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 13 minutes
The underground resistance group the East River Column played a vital role opposing Japanese forces around Hong Kong during the Second World War. Their activities provided a lifeline for Allied prisoners of war, who they aided with support, shelter, and a means of escape.

FIVE GREAT HISTORICALLY ACCURATE FILMS: PART FIVE

by History Guild | Nov 14, 2023 | Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Most history enthusiasts will eye the release of a new film on a historical topic somewhat skeptically, thinking ‘will they get it right?’ Here are some that did!

Damien Parer, Australia’s Iconic WW2 Photographer – Podcast

by History Guild | Oct 17, 2023 | Military History | 0

Parer was selected as an official war photographer for the Department of Information. He would go on to record many of the iconic images of Australian troops in that war.

Tag: Japanese