ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

Another Companion

Norval, port city in the Lebameno Federation

A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) launched from the stern gateway of the Kojima, which is anchored offshore of Norval, lifts the equipment and vehicles used for this resource exploration that were loaded on the well dock to the beach of Norval.

"The boat is sailing on land!"

"Ooh, I didn't know there are boats like that!"

The residents of Norval were excited to see the LCAC traveling back and forth between the beach and the Kojima. Among the vehicles ferried on the beach were a Type 10 snowmobile loaded on an oversized truck and an Antarctic snowmobile (SM100S), which was originally scheduled to be transported to Antarctica with the Antarctic Research Expedition before the transference. In addition, there is also the sight of a tracked vehicle, which is not owned by the JGSDF.

Emerging from the personnel compartment were a resource survey team consisting of non-combatants dispatched from government agencies or private companies, their escorts, members of the Cold Weather Combat Training Unit, which is located in Sapporo, Hokkaido, one of the snowiest areas of the GSDF... but there are also Caucasian men among them.

"We have completed the landing of all equipment and vehicles!"

First Lieutenant Takunori Wajima, who is in command of the resource survey team escort, salutes Murata, the survey team leader, and informed him that the lifting operation is complete.

"I understand."

Murata then turned to the other commander.

"How are things going over there?"

The man who recognized Murata's voice, unlike Wajima, was somewhat frank in informing Murata of the current situation.

"Yes, there is no problem! We can always head for Sactoa!"

His name is Arkady Leontchev, an army lieutenant. In front of him was a column of his fellow Caucasians.

'This place brings back some memories! It's just like the Motherland!'

Leontchev compared the landscape of the Rotom Subcontinent in the far north with that of his homeland. In fact, the United States of America was not the only country that was brought with its military along with the transference of Japan.

In 2024, at the end of the East Asian War, an unprecedented national crisis that Japan had experienced before the transference, Japan had built aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and possessing nuclear weapons on loan from the United States as an open secret. Japan, which had been increasing its power, finally settled the Northern Territories issue with the Russian Federation.

As a result, it was decided to divide the Northern Territories into 'equal areas', i.e., the three islands of Shikotan/Shpanberg, Habomai, and Kunashiri/Kunashir, and part of Etorofu/Iturup were to be Japanese territory, and most of the rest of Iturup was to be Russian territory. Later, maps published by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) would show a land border on the Iturup Island.

Although there was much opposition to this result in Japan, considering that the territory had been under Russian rule for too long and that many Russians were already living in the Northern Territories, the majority of the Japanese public opinion was that it was lucky that Kunashiri had been returned to Japan. Later, the Russian military withdrew from the three islands of Shikotan, Habomai, and Kunashiri, as well as part of the Etorofu, and the illegal occupation of the Northern Territories came to an end.

By the way, during the East Asian War, the Coast Guard surrounded Takeshima/Dokdo and conducted a military siege against the armed police on Takeshima, which had been cut off from all support and supplies by Korean forces, and recaptured the island by forcing the armed police to surrender. After the war, about 40 of the surrendered armed police were repatriated to South Korea, where their scars remain deep. There were many voices in Korea that advocated the recapture of Takeshima, but the country was in no condition to do so because it was devoting a large portion of its budget and manpower to reconstruction projects from the damage caused by the Second Korean War during the East Asian War. Some journalists claim that a secret agreement was made between Japan and North Korea at this time, but the truth is not known.

Later, in 2025, the transference to another world took place, and almost all of Japan's territory was transferred, with some exceptions. Of the Northern Territories, the entire island of Etorofu, where the border with Russia exists, has come to another world as a result of the transference.

With this, not only the USFJ, but also the Russian forces stationed on Etorofu Island became collateral damage and came to the other world with Japan. Unlike the USFJ, the Japanese government first proposed incorporating the entire Etorofu Island into the SDF, as it had done with the Americans, but the Russian embassy rejected the proposal. Furthermore, it refused to move to the Yawa Peninsula, and requested the Japanese government to assist in the establishment of a new Russian Federation on Iturup.

The Japanese government accepted to support the establishment of the Russian Federation on Etorofu under the condition that Russian troops would be obliged to go out to the island in accordance with the Japanese government's request. Therefore, this time, Arkady Leontchev and other Caucasian troops were the Russians assigned to escort a natural resources survey mission with the Cold Weather Combat Training Unit on the Rotom Subcontinent in the Far North at the request of the Japanese government.

"All right! Let's go!"

With Murata's voice, the resource survey team and their escorts boarded their vehicles. After everyone has boarded, the engines are turned on and each vehicle begins to move slowly. They formed a line and departed for Sactoa, the capital of the Lebameno Federation, which is located slightly inland.