Japan Space-Time Strange Chronicles

Underneath the Rippling Water Surface

This month's post.

Since it's a joke I wrote over a year ago, I wonder if it's still relevant... I do review it before posting, but every time you point it out, I can't help but feel embarrassed, my face turning as red as fire.

- Kazuhiro Kasami

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 2, 2033

National Diet Building, Japan

"Prime Minister! It has been reported that a cargo ship registered under our nation was subjected to inspection by the warship of the Yetisk Empire, and as a result, it had no choice but to scuttle itself. Could you please provide detailed answers regarding the circumstances and reasons for such an incident!?"

On this day, the Diet was in turmoil after a long time.

This was because the Japanese-registered Kyokutō Maru had completely disappeared off the coast of the Amaterasu Thearchy (what was known as the Sea of Japan in the old world). The ship left a message stating, "Received inspection by the warship of the Yetisk Empire. Due to confidentiality, we are sinking after opening the Kingston valve," after which all contact was lost. Specifically, on the day after the Kyokutō Maru sank, a patrol ship from the Japan Coast Guard and a tugboat for towing arrived, but by that time, there was no trace of the ship, and the crew had already been taken to Vladimir. As a result, there was only fragmentary information from the scene, and the lack of detailed information fueled the anxiety of the people.

However, some information had reached certain quarters, including the Prime Minister's office, and they were planning to carefully examine it before announcing it to the public. But before that could happen, the media got wind of it from somewhere, and it was exposed on the front page the next morning. The information from the scene included: "Adrift due to engine failure," "Drifting towards the Sea of Japan carried by the tide," and "A warship with triple gun turrets is approaching."

Actually they had no idea of what kind of warship was that or its capabilities. It was unclear whether it was a state-of-the-art ship or an old model. Given the uncertainty, the plan was to respond cautiously, considering the deployment of forces by the Yetisk Empire in the Far East.

Moreover, nothing was known about what happened after the Kyokutō Maru sank, so the ruling party could only repeat, "We are currently investigating..." without providing any concrete details.

The opposition, which had significantly reduced its influence in recent years, seized this opportunity to undermine the current administration, but online, there were mostly skeptical voices.

. . .

"Opposition's response is laughable."

"I've searched all over the internet, but there's hardly any information beyond the government announcement."

"We know about a large warship with triple gun turrets, but we don't know the type. I can't believe a battleship would be on patrol duty."

"Nah, we don't know. Maybe it's a pocket battleship like the Deutschlands with moderate firepower and speed..."

"Isn't our old world's Sweden, Finland, and Thailand had something called coastal defense ships? It had firepower and speed comparable to pre-dreadnoughts, more than enough for coastal defense."

"Japan also deployed numerous old battleships and armored cruisers as coastal defense ships during the Russo-Japanese War era."

"BTW, fun fact, Thailand's coastal defense ship Thonburi was ordered and built by Japan."