Could Japan have conquered Australia?

Japan never seriously intended to invade Australia, a fact known to the Australian Government by mid-1942 and confirmed by intelligence reports, principal historian to the Australian War Memorial, Peter Stanley, said yesterday at a conference examining the events of 1942.

What did Japan think of Australia in ww2?

In early 1942 elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) proposed an invasion of mainland Australia. This proposal was opposed by the Imperial Japanese Army and Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who regarded it as being unfeasible given Australia’s geography and the strength of the Allied defences.

Did the Japanese invade New Zealand?

In December 1941, Japan attacked and rapidly conquered much of the area to the north of New Zealand. New Zealand had perforce to look to her own defence as well as help the “mother country”.

What would have happened if Japan won Kokoda?

If successful, Operation FS would achieve two strategic objectives for the Japanese: First, it would critically isolate Australia, whose northern coast was only a few hundred miles from Port Moresby. This could have forced Australia to withdraw from the war, or in the worst case, even suffer partial invasion.

How did Kokoda affect Australia?

The Kokoda Trail had taken a heavy toll of the men on both sides who were engaged in the fighting. More than 600 Australian lives had been lost, and over a thousand sustained wounds in battle; perhaps as many as three times the number of combat casualties had fallen ill during the campaign.

Why didn’t Japan invade NZ?

They lack steel, coal, cotton, wool, oil, tin, and rubber, all of which were available in southeast Asia. New Zealand had none of the resources that Japan wanted and needed to prosecute the war, and would have tied up the forces needed elsewhere, so it, along with Australia, were left alone.