Major Hashida’s Notebook 
A Japanese spy’s mission to Australia in World War II

by Craig Collie

Published by Allen and Unwin

RRP $34.99 in paperback

ISBN 9781761471421

Craig Collie’s interest in Major Sei Hashida’s activities in Australia stemmed from the research he undertook for an earlier book, On Our Doorstep (Allen and Unwin, 2020) in which he made only a fleeting reference to Hashida.

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 pieces of intelligence on everything from Australia’s fortifications to its car industry.

But what was the true purpose of his mission?

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.

He has cleverly recreated Hashida’s day-to-day activities while coincidentally offering the reader a vivid snapshot of Australian society during the Second World War (with some excellent accompanying photographs).

Collie concludes it is likely that Hashida’s mission was to ascertain the level of Australia’s commitment to defend British interests in the region.

In fact, the question of whether Australia was prepared to enter the war on Britain’s behalf became irrelevant. In the face of Japanese expansion, Australia was preparing to enter the war on its own behalf.

VERDICT: A fascinating book that brings a long-forgotten piece of Australian war history to light.