‘The other side of the moon’: The Australian Army and understanding Japan, 1901-1952

From the time of Australian Federation at the beginning of the 20th Century, Imperial Japan was regarded as the regional threat to Australian security. Despite this, the Australian Army made only indifferent efforts to understand Japan until conflict came with the Second World War. In the midst of the greatest national security crisis to confront the young nation, the Australian Army’s learning curve was steep. But as the war progressed, and through involvement in the Allied Occupation of Japan that followed, Australians serving in the Army came to understand Japan in a more sophisticated way.