Three days before the invasion of Taiwan
Third Person POV
University of Tokyo
Before the physical armaments were primed for showdown, the war had actually started much earlier, in the cyberspace.
A thin, 16 years old boy sat behind a workstation, faintly glowing metallic smart-rings on his wrists connected to the cubicle, his eyes hidden behind a dark tinted visor.
Even with the monotone nature of his work, he doesn't forget to smile or to answer every sustenance needs.
Rows of similar workstations lined the underground hall beneath the university building. Behind each sat either engineering, or computer science student, all part of the 5th Battalion, a special Reserve Officer's Training Corps unit of University of Tokyo specialized in information warfare training.
Their works were supervised by two active duty officers of the JCDF, or Japan Cyber Defense Force.
In democratic, free Asia, Japan was the first nation to recognize the changing times and formed the JCDF in November 1st, 2001 as a reply into two separate attempt of hacking and espionage on Japanese industries.
As the decade moved forward, computer-savvy Japanese at home and overseas were encouraged to contribute to this force as cyber auxiliaries, emulating China's organization of it's hacker militias with 12 being a minimum age established by the JCDF, mostly in a defensive fashion in order to root out foreign sourced cyberattacks, or tipping off allies, especially the United States.
All of the development above occured before Kirigaya Katsuma was even born. Considered by many as prodigy in computers in the same manner as Arima Kousei in piano music, he is one of the youngest JCDF volunteer, being inducted into it's Greater Tokyo Area-based 80th Auxiliary Cyber Defense Regiment after winning a software-writing competition at the age of 13. Being able to play with the latest technology is heaven for him, and the missions the officers gave him and his mostly-older comrades in arms were usually fun. One day it might be hacking into a smartphone of a left-leaning Western foreign influencer/social media personality, the next day could be wrestling with IT security at a Belarusian truck factory or a Soviet Russian missile designer. However, the most exciting missions all involved the aggressive dragon - the Chinese.
And the rise of the latter was the main reason of the cyber shinobis - a terminology used by the CDF for it's volunteers; to be increasingly engaged in offensive operations.
Katsuma had made his mark by hacking phones belonging to civilian employees in the Chinese Central Military Commission as a retaliation for China's similar attempt against America's Pentagon and Japan's Defense Ministry HQ.
Despite the restrictions on employees bringing devices into the building, a few with a higher level of favor by the powers that be did so every day. His technique involved coopting a phone's camera and other sensors to remotely re-create the owner's physical and electronic environment. This mosaic of pictures, sounds, and electromagnetic signals helped the Japanese produce an almost perfect 3-D virtual rendition of the CMC building's interior and its networks. The same technique has also been used against many other Chinese govermment facilities and companies such as Huawei, Alibaba, Sinotruk, and China Communications Construction Company with various degrees of success.
Patriotism and a staunch anticommunist stance was the main fuel of his volunteering, and physical exercises helped him and other auxiliaries to avoid muscle entrophy that could occur as result of hours sitting in front of the screen.
Little to know that he is about to hit the jackpot as the network defenses of the CMC began to smell that something was amiss and act accordingly to engage malware packages being carried by him and his compatriots.
In the cat and mouse game inside the cyberspace, the Japanese hackers, with a few attacks being repulsed, had managed to keep themselves hidden, small enough, for the defense code and humans controlling it to lose sight of them.
Katsuma managed to gain access, and as he grinned, he began inserting codes that works that would randomize the signals for China's Beidou satellite network, in the same way as the Chinese's own, while turned out to be partial, success in degrading the integrity of Global Positioning System at the same time.
In the meantime, one of his compatriots, and lover, Yuuki Setagawa, managed to be inside the network long enough to obtain orders and plans of the PLA especially those related to Taiwan, South China Sea, and Japan.
Slowing down the enemy was their main objective, and the cyber regiment has luck on their side.
Arima Kousei's POV
11th Tank Regiment
14 weeks later
Fuji Training Ground
While our sailors and aerospace soldiers were the first to draw blood, the "land-lubbers" of the Ground Defense Force did not sat on their laurels through. In fact, a brigade has been rushed to South Korea to reinforce our allies against the invading North, who for obvious reasons joined the war effort, as well as coastal and air defense efforts on the Home Islands.
Ground Command had chosen the brigade where we belong to get ready.
The 5th Mechanized Brigade, part of the 1st Division, consist of two infantry battalions (called regiments in Japan) and one tank battalion as its main force.
1st and 4th regiment of Infantry, and 11th regiment of Tank, plus battalion sized scout cavalry, artillery, aerospace defense, and other support.
The 11th Tanks Charlie Company, or Team Kirin, had gone over it often enough using map exercises, terrain walks, virtual reality based battle simulations, particularly important as space is a premium here in Japan - and field training exercises.
However, my company commander is not someone who is quickly satisfied. Captain Jinta Yadomi, his name, was still not sure that we are in the best state to fight our way through cities, one of the worst environment for tanks, either here in Japan or whereever we got deployed later on, most likely in the Korean Peninsula or in the South East Asia.
With an emergency short service commission permanently etched on my resume, my place is here in the big family of Black Berets - JGDF Armored Corps, while my wife and Tsubaki wore the green beret of the Infantry Corps; with their sacred duty as mechanized infantry is to back the big guns of the tanks, especially the brand-new, indigenous Type 10s that we're using right now.
The formation's nexus was the Team's headquarters section, consisting of two tanks, one used by Captain Yadomi and one other by 1st Lieutenant Haruki Shige, his second in command. Then two Kawasaki MPM - short for Multi-purpose Missile, missile carriers mounted on the chassis of Type 89 infantry fighting vehicles for longer range anti armor and vehicle engagement. Other members of this section include the company first sergeant mounted in a Type 89; followed by the supply sergeant who is mounted on a flat bed variant of Bushmaster mine resistant vehicle.
The largest concentration of power was on the right flank, the 3rd Platoon where Watari and I belonged to, and Kaori's platoon, 4th (Mechanized) Platoon. Tsubaki, enlisted as sergeant, is one of the latter's squad leader.
4th Platoon was equipped with modernized Type 89 Kai infantry fighting vehicles, Carl Gustav M4 reloadable recoilless gun, Panzerfaust 3 single shot rocket launcher, and Type 01 LMAT anti-tank guided missiles, all manufactured in Japan. This platoon had been scheduled to receive brand-new Mitsubishi Type 22 tracked fighting vehicles, but the war slowed the overall rearmament effort.
The Mech Platoon was split into two elements. The dismounted element, led by the platoon leader, consisted of most of the infantry, Panzerfausts, and Gustavs, plus one LMAT. The foot mobiles was backed by the mounted element, led by the platoon sergeant, consisted of the Platoon's vehicles and its turret mounted Type 21 Shin Chu-MAT laser guided ATGMs plus their crews.
1st Platoon was on the left flank while the 2nd are in reserve.
The fifth platoon is the scout cavalry platoon from the combined arms task force's cavalry company.
Each platoon, both tank and mechanized infantry, also enjoyed access to tracked microwave anti-drone system developed by an American defense contractor in addition to portable anti-drone jammers, assembled in the aerospace defense companies.
"Kirin 1-6, your tanks are too close, spread out." radioed Yadomi.
Kinks to rectify are many.
Then... "Enemy drones in sight, Kirin 3 engaging."
Nothing is predictable, and the pre-deployment exercise was tailored specifically for realism.
"RPG team, office building, 11 o'clock" I commanded.
"Identified!" called my gunner.
It's time for the big bang.
"Fire."
"On the way!"
"You know, it's really something to train to fight powered by mostly our own oil, Lieutenant."
"Indeed. Most of the time, it's all from the Middle East before COVID." I told my crewmember when it's time to sit down for some tea close to our tank.
"... the Niigata fields - and Minamitorishima Deep Sea Mine - were a Godsend." stated my tank's gunner, Sergeant First Class Kitazawa Hitomi, while Watari, ranked Private, served as my driver. "Honestly, through... I can't comprehend those people's reason. Oil? They mostly imported theirs from the Russians."
"Agree... ever since the Houthis, in their last hurrah, managed to blow up Saudi's biggest refinery and then civil war in Iran, the Russians are on the lead in oil production after the US, Canada, Venezuela, Algeria, and the UAE."
"Don't forget rare earth, stuffs we need for solar panel, deep sea turbines, and deep cycle batteries like what here our tanks and vehicles are using... China's own environment has been fu*ked up good in their quest to dominate its supply. Especially with right now we're self sufficient." Watari told me.
"America, Australia, Mozambique, Botswana, South Africa, and Indonesia had also profited from those little things. Bottom line; Colonel Okazaki had told us that the push of renewable energy sources had caused more conflict than cooperation, and right now, people, let's get back to business ahead."
"Yes, sir."
My mind went back to the day of our commissioning;
"After this, let's have children... Whatever it takes, Kaori."
"I will, but promise me that you will return alive. Arima-kun." There was a fierceness in her eyes.
Can I promise such a thing and make it good?
I placed a gentle hand on her cheek. I thought back to our time in school, performances, and finally our marriage just three months before all hell broke loose. And so, I faced my beautiful wife; delicate from outside, but inside she is a strong woman and a fiery-spirited officer.
"I promise, Kaori. We'll be back. Both of us. Either after hoisting the Nisshoki (1), or come back wrapped in it."
Her eyes dig deep inside me.
"And I promise to you, too, Arima-kun,"
Then at November 15th, 2025, we got our orders. No farewell parties allowed, only phone calls to our family or guardians before we are to leave the central part of Honshu that we were securely tucked in.
"We'll make it brief, people. While our Navy and Aerospace Force are having its hands full, especially after the Americans got two carriers out of commission by ballistic missile strikes, the Chinese assisted by the Russians had sneaked past our defenses, using civilian cargo ships, and right now, the entire Kyushu Island and part of Yamaguchi Prefecture has been occupied, while the latter were also keeping us busy in Hokkaido."
Before all of the battles, family reconciliation was necessary for few of us, regular or draftees.
"Tell Miku I love her, and I am sorry. Now I have to fight." That's what my regimental second in command, Major Sato Hikawa said on the phone.
Tomorrow, 5th Mechanized Brigade, The Fighting Fifth, will take back what is ours!
...
A/N:
(1). Official name for the Flag of Japan.