Summoning Japan × The New Order: Last Days of Europe

Chapter 30

June 27, 1963 / Year 1639 Central Calendar, 17:00

Maihark, Principality of Qua-Toyne

During the military dismantling of the Kingdom of Louria by the Japanese Empire, the invaded Principality of Qua-Toyne enjoyed the economic benefits of the Japanese Empire's backing.

Under the treaty concluded between Japan and Qua-Toyne, machinery and heavy equipment made in Japan... or more precisely, in the puppet states, were being transported here for development. Parts of Maihark had already been purchased by Japanese settlers who had crossed as pioneers, and Japanese neighborhoods had been established.

Signs in the settled towns prominently display names such as "Yasuda Development Division," "Hachibishi Development Bureau," "Yotsui Consulting Design Department," and "Kunitomo Group Otherworldly Development Team."

These were the names of the four major zaibatsu, which could be said to dominate the Japanese economy.

Finance, commerce, real estate, industry, agriculture, forestry, food industry, military industry... etc., they had deeply entrenched themselves in the Japanese economy, growing fat while sipping the sweet nectar of profit. After Japan established the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, their power struggles and economically exploitative tendencies became even greater.

However, due to a corruption scandal initiated by Yasuda Holdings, their trust and credibility were shaken, and there was even a trend towards their merger with state-owned enterprises. Furthermore, their fate changed significantly as they were transferred to another world as a nation immediately after the corruption scandal occurred.

Kishi, a reform bureaucrat, intervened in the zaibatsu companies and proposed settlement projects as a measure to oversee the rescue and reconstruction of these zaibatsu companies. Each zaibatsu agreed to Kishi's proposal, and with a speed and manpower surpassing that of the Manchurian settlement group, they proceeded to greatly transform Maihark, the trading port of the Principality of Qua-Toyne, and secure a food transportation network. Although rudimentary and not yet as developed as the Southeast Asian port cities, they managed to secure a port where cargo ships could come and go despite the rushed construction.

In exchange for loading Qua-Toyne's food onto the ships, a large number of laborers and equipment were unloaded from the transport ships. Watching this scene unfold, the people of Qua-Toyne were astonished to see their city changing like an anthill and witnessing the extent of their technological prowess.

"So, those are Japanese companies...? I can't believe they have such huge vehicles..."

"I heard that before they came to this world, there were a lot of vehicles bigger than those in their puppet states. Even compared to the plane crashed at Maihark, Japan's are beyond standard..."

"At this rate, we might have to work as 'Japanese' too."

"It might happen sooner or later... We can't compete with their technological prowess. And they have such machinery power even without magic... Before long, we might become a minority in Maihark..."

Many of the Japanese coming to Maihark were not from the "mainland."

The majority of them were people from nations under Japanese rule or puppet regimes such as the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.

Many of them were migrant workers who had been working in heavy industrial areas in the mainland such as Yokohama, Nagoya, Kure, Kobe, etc. Due to the Yasuda Crisis... and the subsequent transference phenomenon, they became unemployed after being laid off on the mainland. These wandering citizens of the Empire and Asians from allied nations, were dispatched to Qua-Toyne as "settlers for the Japanese territory in another world," and settlement by Japanese people was steadily progressing.

"Because we are a nation under the flag of the Rising Sun, it is our national policy to establish an Asian order by Asians. We must never abandon them, but support them as advance parties."

While this slogan and pretext seemed noble, in reality, the main tasks were mouth-shutting and construction of port facilities by advance teams, reminiscent of the notorious Rōmusha (forced labor) system.

All settlers reluctantly followed the supervision of nagging mainland Japanese, and while facing such construction speed and labor issues, Maihark rapidly developed. While there were severe demands and unreasonable requests, unlike the mainland, they did not suffer from food shortages, and with a significantly higher food production capacity than self-sufficiency, they could eat their fill.

Although it was arduous work with unjust demands, unlike the mainland, they did not suffer from food shortages, and the salaries provided by the zaibatsu and the Japanese government were high. Soon after settling, they were able to build up enough wealth to acquire their own homes.

Not only the four major zaibatsu representing Japan, Yasuda, Hachibishi, Yotsui, and Kunitomo, but also manufacturers such as Furukawa, Dai-Tokyo Communication, and Iue that had gained fame in the Japanese State of Guangdong were producing goods in large quantities. Most of the equipment manufactured by these zaibatsu was work machinery imported from Japan, and settlement projects using these machines were rapidly progressing.

The majority of the buildings were made using lumber and stone provided by Qua-Toyne, and unlike Japan, seismic activity is relatively low in Qua-Toyne, and most of the buildings had elaborate exteriors but lacked seismic reinforcement work inside for the most part. To expedite the settlement process, the Japanese prioritized construction speed over durability, and apartment buildings that barely met construction standards were starting to proliferate.

The people of Qua-Toyne who originally lived in Maihark were beginning to feel the rapid changes in their city.