[Extract] This thesis will investigate previously neglected connections between north Queensland and Japan. Prior to WWII, north Queensland had a large population of Japanese immigrants compared to any region in Australia. Many were indentured labourers who worked in the pearling industry as divers or crew, or in the sugar cane industry on plantations or in sugar mills. Some owned businesses such as laundries, grocery stores, and even soy sauce factories as part of their long-term residence in Australia. Their contribution to northern development was significant. However, many of these ties were fractured by WWII. The war most Japanese residents in Australia interned under a ‘collar the lot’ policy
