The State of Japan: World War III

Decline of Japan (Early 21st Century)
At the onset of the Second Great Depression, Japan was one of the first affected by economic decline, as its massive debt had sunk it completely. The island, once the third most powerful economy in the world, was forced into a backseat as Asia drastically changed. China became an incredibly nationalistic state intent on expanding its borders and influence. Russia went back to its old Marxist ways, being reborn as the Communist Federated Republics (CFR). Pakistan, North Africa, and the Middle East fell into anarchy, unifying into the Holy Islamic Empire (HIE), after a radicalist movement swept through those regions. These new nations became the dominant world powers, making Japan increasingly wary of potential war to come. Japan, though, still remained as a player on the world scale, becoming involved in colonization efforts with the US and India. But as China surpassed the US economy and beat America in every way imaginable, tensions rose between the nations of Earth. And Japan became more intent on distancing itself from world affairs to not clash with China.

In 2053, China invaded and annexed Thailand, soon turning its eyes toward Taiwan. Scared, it asked for foreign assistance; the US, India and other nations swooped in to protect the island. The Battle of Taiwan then began in 2055, igniting the Third Human Civil War.

The Neutral Years (2055-2057)
Japan immediately declared neutrality in the matter, only hosting peace talks in its capital, Tokyo, ones that fell through instantly upon the beginning of World War III. Decades of military cutbacks and economic depression put it in no shape for war, and being so close to China itself, it was very vulnerable to direct attack. Prime Minister Akaki of Japan refused to let his country join the war, in spite of reluctant Korean pleas for Japanese assistance in repelling China's invasion, watching as the nation was conquered by the Hegemony. As China crushed most resistance in the Pacific and Asia, including Korea, Japan attempted to form closer ties to China in an attempt to prevent future conquest. In 2056, Akaki was elected out of office, and replaced by Makka of the Japanese Communist Party, who constructed a multi-step plan to deter war with China, and even become a part of its plan for the new world order. Changes ranged from mundane to massive, like the Japanese government request that the US remove its military bases from Japanese soil, tp the country converting its economy from something capitalist to a communist one by 2060.

Japan's attempts at forming an alliance the Hegemony were in vain, however, as China declared war on Japan in mid-2057. The people of Japan, hearing about the war, and outraged with Maaka, urged him to step down. Despite his unpopularity, he refused to step down, believing he was the person most qualified for ending the crisis.

Maaka asked for the Chinese Hegemony to reconsider its choice. However, in reality, it could care less about his pleas, even if he was a communist like them. It wasn't a battle of ideology, but rather one of nationality. China, in its plan for world dominance, vowed to destroy Japan and its people, as the during 20th century, in World War II, the Japanese Empire committed horrible atrocities against the Chinese people. And it believed a century of growing hatred for Japan was at its climax, a returning of the favor of sorts.

Battle of Kyushu & Hokkaido
China invaded Japan from Korea, which had been annexed a year earlier, landing two million troops in Nagasaki. The Japanese Army, too small and unprepared for the conflict, was force to flee the southern island of Kyushu. Upon hearing about the invasion, Maaka realized he had failed in his mission and defenestrated himself not long after.

He was replaced by Prime Minister Ichikawa of the Komeito Party; he began a new objective, the defense of Japan. Rallying his people, Ichikawa authorized a wartime draft and converted many factories into churning out weaponry. And at first, it worked, subjecting the Chinese invaders purely to Kyushu. That was until the CFR struck north in Hokkaido, the most northern island of Japan, which opened a second front in the war.

Hokkaido fell to the CFR, and both Hegemony powers soon entered Honshu, the main island. China then landed millions more soldiers in the northern port of Noshiro and the southern city of Matsue.

Battle of the Sea Goddesses
The front collapsed within a few months, and Japan could only delay the invasion to allow Japanese civilians to evacuate. Eventually, they were pushed all the way the Greater Tokyo, where a defensive circle was formed. The Allied nations of Peru, Australia, the United States and New Zealand all mustered up a fleet to attempt a massive evacuation of the eighty million people now residing in the city.

During the evacuation, Prime Minister Ichikawa refused to leave his country behind, committed Seppuku, so he wasn't captured and likely killed by the Chinese. The Emperor of Japan also died in Tokyo, instead being taken into custody by the Chinese Hegemony and executed immediately after. Despite these losses, millions of Japanese successfully left the country, relocated to the Allied nations, but many were left behind.

Through the loss of Japan, Peru officially declared war on the Hegemony, being majority Japanese descent, had believed the conquest was unwarranted.

Hegemony Victorious
With most of the Japanese government killed in Tokyo and the Japanese people split between the various Allied nations, varying factions and parties divided up Free Japan. This era of disorganization would end a year after the invasion of Japan, when it Australia came under invasion by the Hegemony in 2058, and when it was discovered that China had been condoning and carrying out the systematic genocide of people living in Japan. After that, it was realized by the people of Japan, if they ever wanted to step back onto their ancestral homeland again, they would have to unite into a connected and capable fighting force. Free Japan became an entity that existed outside of the US, Peru and the Oceanic states. By mid-2060, when the Hegemony launched their long anticipated invasion of America, the Free Japanese numbered in the millions and were equipped for combat with the Hegemony. Despite the much needed Japanese assistance in the campaign, however, America was pushed all the way to the Mississippi River. Peru and New Zealand would also be crushed around this time, occupied by the Hegemony powers, with many Japanese either escaping to other countries, or being handed over to China for extermination. For the following four years, Japan would fight wars of attrition in Australia, South America and the US, soon finding those dreams of a liberated Japan began to teeter, and the war looked almost hopeless.

Turning the Tide
In October of 2064, the US liberated New York City, punching passed the Hudson River in a move that made the liberation of America look possible. 2 months later: the Holy Islamic Empire suddenly betrayed the Hegemony, declaring a holy jihad on the entire world.

This perfect storm created a great opportunity for the Allies, allowing the United States to pull off a massive counteroffensive in the North America that after eleven rigorous months of brutal warfare in the forests, desserts, beaches and streets, achieved the liberation of continential United States and Mexico. Free Japanese forces were then shipped all over the world, fighting in Europe, which was invaded by the CFR and HIE in 2062, now turned into a practical no man's land where three opposing factions battled for supremacy over a destroyed continent. For the next phase of the war, Japanese forces were diverted all the war, to fight in Australia, Europe and Africa.

In 2067, the Allies and Hegemony signed a ceasefire to deal with the HIE first, which included a temporary piece between Free Japan and China. Plans to take back Japan were also postponed by the unleashing of the HAVA Virus, which killed 1.5 billion people, and halted all progress in the entire war. The pandemic stretched out a ceasefire to an agonizing four years.

When the HIE was finally defeated by 2071, the Allies and Hegemony immediately ended their ceasefire. It would be another four years, however, before Free Japanese forces were permitted passage onto their homeland.

Operation Blue Storm: The Liberation of Japan (2075-2077)
In 2075, as the Hegemony fell to its last legs, Japanese forces assisted by the United States were landed in Kyushu and Tokyo, to which the liberation was an easy victory, as the Chinese, more intent of the protecting the mainland, flocked away from the islands; after all, the damage was done, Japan was completely purged of Japanese people and culture; cities were turned into graveyards, and millions of people were dead. It was no shock to see, as people were used to these common atrocities and war had claimed billions of lives.

The last Chinese forces retreated from the port city of Wakkanai on December 9, 2075. The island of Sakhalin in Russia was then secured for good measure. In the closing years of the war, Japan would be used a base for Operation Scorched Garden, the invasion of China. The Japanese people resettled their destroyed lands, reestablishing their culture in hopes of reserving the Chinese crimes committed.

Once the war ended with the Armistice of Jerusalem, which was signed after the Chinese loss at Xían, the last major confrontation of the war. Japan then laid its millions of dead to rest with honors through either cremation or burial.