Bruce.
You may have set quite a task for yourself. If the sword is of Imperial Japanese Navy issue, the odds are it will be identical to hundreds of such swords issued.
On the other hand, if it is a family sword, and it is old enough, there may be a family crest/symbol on the guard, or hilt, that could ID original owners. Might be worth checking the web first to see if there are any Japanese sword specialists about you could email photos to, in order to find out for certain what you actually have in your possession.
It could be a long shot, but you might also want to look at the sword's point of last possession by the Japanese Navy in Kuching, Borneo. Perhaps Australian Military Archives somewhere hold a list of Japanese Naval Officers who surrendered there to the Australian unit in question. That could narrow down the number of possible owners for you significantly, if the information can be found.
Keep us posted.
David
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