REIWA JIGOKUHEN - Chaotic Disturbance of Reiwa Era

Chapter 120 - End of the Year

Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture: Hokuriku Shinkansen

With improvements in energy conditions, the Shinkansen was gradually being restored.

In the quiet Green Car, despite it being packed, Muto read through the minutes. They were about a plan to establish a large academic research special zone on Etorofu Island, which had just been incorporated into Japan, to gather the world's promising minds in the 20th century and acclimate them to a research environment at the level of the 21st century, ultimately collaborating with academia, industry, and government in Japan.

"The fruits of technological innovation will only be enjoyed at a slow pace and at a high cost for the time being," Iida's words came to mind.

It was an undeniable reality for Japan, which had suddenly and completely lost its various connections with the original world. In this world, there were no partners to conduct joint research with, nor any foreign rivals to compete with. Everything from research to dealing with the Time-Space Cataclysm had to be done on its own due to concerns about another territorial shift. Anyone who thought that society would change at the same speed as before in such a situation would be nothing but a fool.

Furthermore, the most annoying thing was that it was rapidly becoming unclear what could have been obtained in the first place. For example, if Japan during the Edo period had been transported to the world of the Genpei War, modernization after the Meiji Restoration might not have occurred, and the era of the samurai might have continued indefinitely. Alternatively, it might have only reached the steam engine hundreds of years later. In such a case, the sacrifice of the Greater East Asia War might have been avoided, but generally, tens of times more people would have been missing from the beginning, as Japan's population had already plateaued in the early 18th century and remained stagnant for the next 150 years.

And because those involved would not have been able to learn about the technological innovation they should have known, they wouldn't have realized the loss. The same could apply in the future.

'If that's the case...'

This plan was perfectly valid. Muto certainly understood that. From an extremely optimistic perspective, it could be thought that the existence of a single entity capable of centralizing the world's minds could potentially turn into a big plus in the future. If there were five nations with 100 research capabilities each, it would be more efficient to combine them into 500 research capabilities rather than having them compete separately. The minutes even frequently contained phrases like "catch up and surpass in 50 years."

However, it is hard not to feel a sense of excessive bureaucratic control, like that of the closed cities in the Soviet Union. Although the Soviet Union had a considerable strength in basic research, which might make it surprisingly good at facing the ultimate challenge of investigating the Time-Space Cataclysm, there is no denying that the country lagged far behind in civilian industries. There may be competition among domestic companies in the future, but in the market of the 20th century, almost anything could sell, and it is expected that the motivation for product improvement and new development will decline.

'What should I do?'

Muto let out a heavy sigh.

However, just after that, the Shinkansen emerged from the tunnel, and the world suddenly brightened up. There are houses that could be found anywhere in Japan, 6-story buildings, elementary and middle schools, shopping malls, and the Hokuriku Expressway crowded with cars heading back for the holidays. The cityscape that seemed unchanged from last year is embraced by snow-covered fields. The sight of a hometown that cannot exist if the country is in ruins. The scenery that should have been tiresome burns into his eyes.