Major Sei Hashida's visit.

Major Sei Hashida, an army officer serving on the Imperial Japanese General Staff, visited Australia in 1941 on a two-month visa issued by the British Consul at Tokyo. This was only a few months after Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact in September 1940. Australian authorities were not advised in advance of his arrival, or the purpose of his visit. Protocol in peacetime required that if a military officer was to visit a country, approval was required in advance, this was more important when the country to be visited was at war. Hashida had left Japan on 29 December 1940 and arrived at Brisbane in the Canberra Maru on 13 January 1941. When asked for his credentials, he was unable to produce them and stated that he was a sick man and the purpose of his trip was for health reasons. Hashida was advised to remain on the ship. When told this, Hashida became unpleasant and, mixing with other Japanese, eventually evaded guards and left the ship.

On the following day, the Japanese Consul General at Sydney advised that Hashida had come to Australia to investigate wool, metal and other industries and their relation to Japanese military requirements. (1) On 15 January Hashida arrived in Sydney and stayed at the Hotel Australia and began shopping for maps and photographs. Military authorities at Sydney were instructed that Hashida was not to be registered as an alien, but kept under close surveillance and any unusual conduct reported immediately.

Hashida visited the Minister for the Army, the Hon. P.C. Spender on the 17th. Following this visit, the Japanese Consul General advised the Minister of the purpose of Hashida's visit, and 'requested assistance to allow him to visit the B.H.P. Steel Works at Newcastle, The Small Arms Factory, Lithgow, Air Force and Military Schools and Camps, and the Duntroon Military College". (2) The Minister refused to grant this request because the Commonwealth was at war. Military Commands were alerted and instructed that Hashida was only to be granted facilities normally available to the public and Japanese consular officials.

During his time at Sydney, Hashida visited many places along the coast and noted the aerodromes marking details in Japanese characters on his maps. Not all of Hashida's trips were reported by those conducting the close surveillance, as you will read later. On 24 January Hashida flew to Canberra where he was barred from visiting the Royal Military College. He returned to Sydney by car the next day via various aerodromes and other sites, marking them on maps he had bought along the way. During the evenings Hashida moved about freely visiting many Japanese nationals. He also had dinner one evening with two Australian women and two Japanese men.

On 8 February Hashida, accompanied by the Japanese vice-consul, boarded a Pioneer bus and headed for Melbourne along the coast road, arriving on 11 February 1941. On arrival at Melbourne Hashida again came under close surveillance and was given a map on which a line was marked some 30-50 miles (48-80 kilometres) inland from the coast, and politely told that he was not permitted south of the line and the coast. He was also advised that he should not 'evince any interest in Naval, Military or Air Force formations or sites, or in factories engaged in war production, and requested not to take photographs of certain subjects'. (3) Later it will be seen that he paid little regard for this advice. In Victoria, Hasida spent most of his time visiting similar sites to those he had at Sydney. He also visited many Japanese nationals and had lunch with a military intelligence officer from Army Headquarters at Menzies Hotel. That is how it appeared to Military Intelligence.

On 22 February Hashida and the Vice Consul flew to Adelaide where he was again given a small map indicating areas he should avoid. This map was more restrictive than the one for Victoria because of the irregular coastline. Hashida complained bitterly and the Japanese Consul General protested to the Government. As a result of this, it was arranged that the same restrictions would not apply on his visit to Western Australia where he arrived on 28 February. Little is reported by the intelligence authorities of his time at Perth. On 8 March Hashida flew to Broome stayed there until the 12th and then flew on to Darwin. A busy few days as Hashida did obtain details of Port Hedland, and Wyndham as well as of Broome. At Broome and Darwin he visited the Japanese nationals resident in those areas. The above information reflects the military intelligence and staff view of Hashida's visit.

Hashida stayed at Darwin from 12-16 March 1941, leaving for Dili in Timor at 5 am on the 16th. On arrival his in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) Hashida was detained by the Dutch Authorities and searched. On 19 March 1941 the British Consul at Batavia advised the Captain on the Staff at Singapore Naval base, that Hashida had been arrested after a struggle and placed under police guard in the Hotel du Pavilion. Found among his papers were two notebooks, one containing only is mission brief, and the other contained 60 pages of closely written notes in Japanese characters and a number of sketches of harbours, towns and places in Australia. (4)

Hashida's mission brief was to collect the following information:

1. Strength of Military, naval and Civil Air Forces and their bases.

2. Condition of naval bases and collect material for investigation of the bases.

3. The military establishments in Darwin, Sydney and Melbourne and topographical views (or opinions) for the study of those localities.

4. Data for study of the Army.

5. Condition of internal communications by land and by air.

6. The territories which connect the Northern parts [of Australia] with the south eastern part.

7. Capacity of military support to Java and Singapore. (5)

The Consul's letter also advised that the Japanese were aware that the notebooks had been seized, and that the Netherlands East Indies Government knew their content, and could not complain. He also advised that the Dutch authorities feared reprisals if they handed over the documents to the British, and Hashida was then arrested on British territory a spy, the Japanese would know that the Dutch had provided the British with the information.

Hashida was deported to Japan aboard the Nichiran Maru on 21 March 1941. His notebooks and sketches, together with the Dutch translation, were sent to Australia. The Department of External Affairs sent a copy of the British Consul-General, Batavia's, letter to the Minister for the Army, for comment. On 21 April 1941, the Chief of the General Staff (CGS) advised his Minister playing down concerns about the sketch maps. He wrote that they were of areas around Darwin and do include some of the new works there, but that the Japanese would already have obtained these details. He also wrote 'It is known that the Japanese have some very clever men resident in Darwin. Further, these notes and sketches could have been compiled by any alien from various vantage points in and around this town.' (6) On 4 April the Director of naval Intelligence (DNI) had sent a Most Secret classified message to the CGS indicating, based on 'information received that the Japanese Consul-General, Batavia, to Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs dated 22 March containing conclusive proof of our belief that Major Hashida sent to Australia expressly for military espionage ... If Japs start a press campaign NEI Authorities will publish contents of notebooks and diagram of aerodrome and notes of despatches of Australian troops to java.'

Both books and sketches were subsequently sent to Australia and Hashida's translated notes were listed in point form. Some of these do indicate that the CGS might not have had the full story when he wrote his minute of 21 April 1941. There are too many notes to cover in this paper, but a few, written as recorded, will indicate the type of content.

   19/1/41 Studied Sydney Harbour & Manly Bridge measurements,
   anchorages, Naval bases, Qantas area, Middle Head guns. Saw
   A/Carrier ...

   24/1/41 Mascot Aerodrome facilities, Reservoir and aqueduct,
   topography between Sydney and Canberra Duntroon and RAAF station,
   RMC 300 pupils.

   28/1 NEI ship 15,000 tons loading explosives and weapons at Sydney.
   Also. Things finished to send along with "Canberra Maru".

   1/2/41 Aquitania in harbour. Dispatch of soldiers abroad. Army
   and--? Divs. For Singapore, Africa or elsewhere.

   1/2/41 "I must be careful".

   2/2/41 "Queen Mary" loading, probably NZ Tps.

   2/2/41 "Almost discovered (Chas. Wall)

   4/2/41 Finished report with YANASE. "We have left alone the
   material gathered with much difficulty, because it was not yet
   arranged; decided to send it to the General Staff. Last letter
   sent to Dept. Head".

   13/2/41 Walker forbids car ride to Geelong. This ignored.

   8/3/41 Port Headland--Broome--Beaches and water depth. Landing
   grounds. 11/3/41 Broome tidal notes.

   12/3/41 Wyndham--landing grounds. Darwin, Harbour facilities,
   oil tanks, RAAF establishments, health, Army and Air activities.

Of the five sketch maps on file only one is identified, Wyndham Harbour. So they were not all of Darwin as mentioned in the CGS communication of 21 April 1941. At this point is interesting to note that Broome, Port Headland and Darwin, visited by Hashida were all bombed in 1942.

By August 1941, the Commonwealth Government's view of Hashida's activities in Australia took on a more positive tone. A cable sent by the Department of External Affairs to the British Consul-General at Batavia on 21 August 1941 reveals the following: 'It is clear Hashida came to Australia on espionage mission ... little of real value collected." His true mission appears to have been to place espionage on a better footing, to contact existing agents and arrange for an extension of activities. Numerous contacts in the notes are probably the most valuable portion.'

The Department of External Affairs cable was sent in answer to a request from the Japanese Government to the NEI Authorities for the return of Hashida's notebooks. In reply to this the cable continues, 'Glad if you would reply to Netherlands Authorities on the lines that as the notebooks contain matter which is prejudicial to the national interests of their allies in the present war they should not be returned.' Major Hashida's notebook and the sketches are preserved in the National Archives of Australia.

(1) NAA Vic. 729/6, item 29/401/434 dated 11 Mar 1941. A secret letter from the Director of Military Operations and Intelligence to the Far East Combined Bureau.

(2) Ibid.

(3) Ibid.

(4) NAA (Vic) 796/6, Item 29/401/434, HM Consul Batavia to The captain on the Staff S'pore, 19 Mar 1941

(5) Ibid.

(6) Ibid CGS to Secretary Depart of the Army, 21 April 1941.