<P> Japanese submarines operated in Australian waters from January 1942 until July 1944 . Major submarine offensives were carried out against shipping off the Australian east coast from May to July 1942 and January to July 1943 . </P> <P> On the evening of 31 May / morning of 1 June 1942, Sydney harbour came under direct attack from Japanese midget submarines . HMAS Kuttabul, a converted ferry being used as a troop sleeper, was hit and sunk . 22 sailors were killed, 19 Australians and 2 members of the Royal Navy . </P> <P> The only Japanese force to land in Australia during World War II was a reconnaissance party that landed in the Kimberley region of Western Australia on 19 January 1944 to investigate reports that the Allies were building large bases in the region . The party consisted of four Japanese officers on board a small fishing boat . It investigated the York Sound region for a day and a night before returning to Kupang in Timor on 20 January . Upon returning to Japan in February, the junior officer who commanded the party suggested using 200 Japanese prison inmates to launch a guerrilla campaign in Australia . Nothing came of this and the officer was posted to other duties . </P> <P> The first air raid on Australia occurred on 19 February 1942 when Darwin was attacked by 242 Japanese aircraft . Over two hundred people were killed in the raid . Occasional attacks on northern Australian towns and airfields continued until November 1943 . </P>

Did the japanese land in australia in ww2