Japan was unchanging. But the world was changed beyond recognition.
It was around 23:40 on March 9, Reiwa Year X. A massive communications failure struck Japan, cutting off all communication with the rest of the world. While everyone was plunged int...
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I have prepared a map of Saipan Island at the time of the landing operation. I hope you will find it useful.
- Kujaku Aoi
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Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo: Prime Minister's Office
"Nggh, how did this happen?"
PM Kato's expression was as clouded as ever as he looked over the materials distributed to him. Just as he was rejoicing over the successful landing on Saipan, a metaphorical bomb fell on the National Security Council. Overseas, especially in the United States, the news agencies were reporting that "Japanese forces used chemical weapons on Iwo Jima," "Marines destroyed!?" and other such nonsense.
"Kusaka-kun... weren't these rumors supposed to die out spontaneously?"
"As far as the American military communications indicate, it did," Defense Minister Kusaka bitterly defended himself. "It's just that the White House out of the blue said that they were investigating the possibility."
"Idiot... what are you thinking?"
"Maybe they're trying to make us the scapegoat."
Muto, somehow managing to keep his head clear, expressed his opinion as an aide.
"The defeat of Task Force 58 has already been reported in the United States. Whatever the circumstances, the fact remains that the Iwo Jima invasion force is still missing. If that is the case, it is inevitable that criticism will be directed at the Roosevelt administration."
"Muto-kun, I know that much..." Kato said with a nervous frown. "How should we deal with it, anyway?"
"The fact is, the entire witness has disappeared..."
Foreign Minister Shimura also seemed at a loss.
"The only response I can think of is to focus on that part of the negotiations through the USFJ, or to promise to explain this strange disaster when calling for a ceasefire."
"Is that so...? Good grief, it's all going crazy here with the B-29 crew, for example."
Kato let out a loud sigh and everyone looked gloomy. A US Army captain who had landed in Japan during the Tokyo Air Raid had hijacked an amateur radio station and sent a message with absurd content at the worst possible time. Even if he had tried to correct it, the man was unconscious and in critical condition after a gunfight with police officers. The contact with the US, which had been optimistic to some extent, was suddenly overshadowed by a dark cloud.
"For now, I want you all to take a long hard look at this matter. I want a rough draft by the next meeting."
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Saipan Island: Puntan Plains
There was a barracks that looked like an abandoned military hospital, a sanatorium for B-29 crew members who survived the March 10 bombing. No one took their reports of hell seriously. Objectively, it was the same as seeing an apparition or an alien. As a result, the survivors became increasingly insane and were sent to a temporary sanatorium on the northern tip of Saipan. And their madness had reached its peak. The planes that had killed all their comrades appeared overhead.
