Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory, held commemorations on Tuesday to remember the Australians who were killed in Japanese bombers attacks 71 years ago.

Commemorations in Darwin included the opening of a new memorial wall at the Darwin Military Museum, which lists the names of all 1, 672 people who died in Japanese attacks in the second World War on the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia.

In 2011, in recognition of this defining moment in Australia's history, the governor-general proclaimed February 19 as a national day of observance to be known as Bombing of Darwin Day.

"Bombing of Darwin Day is a time for all Australians to remember the harsh realities of war and how the attack on our nation's top end changed our country forever," Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon said.

"Today we remember the past, and what many locals experienced on that dark day. It is hard to imagine what Territorians felt when the war landed on Australia's doorstep," he said in a statement.