Afterwards, Tsuchihashi and the IJA 48th Division was subsequently assigned to garrison the island of Timor. Although the island had been captured by Japan in the Battle of Timor, much of the island was still in the hands of Australian and Dutch commandos. Tsuchihashi launched a major counter-offensive in an attempt to push the Australians into a corner on the south coast of the island. The Japanese also recruited significant numbers of Timorese civilians, who provided intelligence on Allied movements. The island was secured when the remaining Australian commandos were evacuated in December 1942.