Abe First Japanese PM To Visit Japanese-Bombed Darwin

In 1942, Japanese forces launched the only attacks on the Australian mainland, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first premier to visit Darwin, the most heavily damaged city bombed by the Japanese.
Apart from Darwin, Japanese forces also attacked Sydney, Broome, Katherine, Wyndham, Exmouth, Port Headland and Townsville in the early stages of World War II.
Abe’s grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, was arrested for war crimes, but released without conviction. Kishi was instrumental in re-establishing a strong postwar trade relationship between Australia and Japan.

Shinzo Abe arrives in Darwin for first visit by Japanese leader

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • |

    How Do Japanese Students Help Preserve Aussie Nature?

    日本人留学生はどのようにオーストラリアの自然保護を手伝うのか？ Every autumn, groups of Japanese students trade classrooms for gum forests, beaches and wetlands. Their goal isn’t sightseeing. They’re helping protect Australia’s unique environment while discovering a different side of Aussie life. 毎年秋、多くの日本人留学生が教室を離れ、ユーカリの森や海岸、湿地で環境保全活動に参加しています。観光ではなく、オーストラリアの自然を守りながら、地域との新しい交流を育んでいるのです。 Learning Beyond the Classroom 教室の外で学ぶ Many Japanese students come to Australia to improve their English. Some discover that their most valuable lessons happen outdoors. Working alongside local volunteers, they remove weeds, plant native trees and restore wildlife habitat. 教室の外で学ぶ 日本人留学生の多くは英語を学ぶためにオーストラリアへやって来ます。 しかし、本当に印象に残る学びは教室の外で待っていることもあります。 地域の人々と一緒に外来植物を取り除き、在来樹木を植え、野生動物のすみかを守っています。 Friends Through Conservation 自然保護が結ぶ友情 Conservation projects bring together people who might never otherwise meet. Retired Aussies, school children, university students and overseas visitors all work towards the same goal. Conversation comes naturally when everyone…

  • Pavilion Pulled Down, Packed Up And Repurposed

    The Australia Pavilion from the recently completed Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan is simply going to be dismantled, and its parts repurposed for other projects: a stark contrast to the fate of previous pavilions from earlier world’s fairs held in Japan. Last time Osaka held the fair in 1970, the Australia Pavilion had been one of the stars of the show, dazzling visitors with its architecture inspired by Hokusai‘s Great Wave Off Kanagawa in homage to the hosts. It made such a lasting impact that instead of ripping it down and forgetting about it, Aussie aficionados in Japan had the pavilion relocated to Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture. Though at first…

  • | |

    Did You Know A Japanese Cure Turned Out To Be A QR Aussies Use Daily?

    オーストラリアで毎日使われる便利なものが、日本生まれだと知っていましたか？ Aussies scan QR codes countless times every day—for café menus, concert tickets, parking and payments. Yet few realise the technology was invented in Japan by one engineer who wanted to make work easier. カフェのメニュー、コンサートのチケット、駐車場の精算やキャッシュレス決済。オーストラリアでも毎日使われるQRコードですが、その技術が日本で、一人の技術者によって生み出されたことはあまり知られていません。 Meet the man behind the square あの四角いコードを生んだ技術者 In 1994, Japanese engineer Masahiro Hara developed the QR code while working for Denso Wave. The company needed a faster way to track vehicle components during manufacturing. Hara’s solution could store far more information than ordinary barcodes while remaining quick to scan. 1994年、日本の技術者・原昌宏（はら まさひろ）さんは、デンソーウェーブで働きながらQRコードを開発しました。自動車部品をより効率よく管理するため、従来のバーコードより多くの情報を記録でき、素早く読み取れる仕組みを考え出したのです。 A gift, not a monopoly 独占ではなく、世界への贈り物 Although Denso Wave patented the technology, it chose not to enforce the patent rights. This allowed QR codes…

  • What Did Ya Aussie Garden In Tokyo Look Like Before?

    都内のオージープランツ庭はもともとどうだった？ Well, we’ve gotta go back a bit. But this is what our garden looked like when it started. I removed everything I could, made the plot as flat as possible, removed all the weeds and then waited for instructions from Alex Endo. ちょっと昔にさかのぼる必要があるんだけど、庭づくりを始めた頃はこんな感じだったんだ。できる限り全部取り除いて、区画をできるだけ平らにして、雑草も全部抜いてから、遠藤アレックスの指示を待った。 And before this, it was even more of an eyesore.

  • |

    Tokyo’s Strange Socceroos

    Japan has a strange affinity when it comes to using Australian animals for its advertising. A number of major Japanese corporations use koalas and roos to plug their products and services. One with a difference is Hayashi Corporation, a construction company with a history of over 100 years and based in suburban Tokyo. Hayashi Corporation’s Fuchu branch office entrance is adorned with photos of a family of cartoon kangaroos decked out in soccer gear, just like Australia’s national football team, the Socceroos. Japan’s next opponent in World Cup qualifying is Australia, but there’s no connection. What is interesting to note, though, is that the kangaroos had been painted over until…

  • How Did Australia And Japan Go From Allies To Enemies And Now Back To Defence Partners?

    なぜ日豪は同じ陣営から敵国になり、そして再び防衛パートナーになったのでしょうか？ An extraordinary reversal Today, Aussie and Japanese forces train together, visit each other’s bases and increasingly operate alongside each other. In 2025, Aussie soldiers participated in Exercise Orient Shield in Japan for the first time. The two countries’ defence relationship is now remarkably close. 現在、オーストラリア軍と自衛隊は共同訓練を行い、お互いの基地を訪問し、さらに緊密に活動しています。2025年には、豪州陸軍が初めて日本で行われたオリエント・シールドに参加しました。現在の日豪防衛関係は、驚くほど緊密です。 But this is not a relationship that followed a straight line. Australia and Japan were once associated through Britain’s alliance with Japan, became bitter enemies during the Second World War, and are now close strategic partners. しかし、ここに至る道のりは一直線ではありませんでした。かつて日英同盟を通じて同じ陣営にあり、第二次世界大戦では激しい敵対関係となり、現在では緊密な戦略的パートナーになっています。 When Japan was on Australia’s side In 1902, Britain and Japan signed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. Australia was not an independent party to the agreement, but the new…