The Battle of Ginza marked the first contact between the nations of Earth and the Kingdoms
of Falmart.
It is still not understood how the gate functions, or what caused it to appear without warning,
but in an instant, realities previously separated by time, distance, and perhaps more, were
connected.
It was a meeting of two worlds and the results were disastrous.
For the first time since the end of the Second World War, the streets of Japan became a battlefield.
In their unrestrained arrogance, the Empire of Sadera immediately sought to claim the
exotic lands beyond the gate but they were entirely ignorant of just how inferior their
own armies were.
Once the Japanese Self Defense Forces were mobilized, the Battle of Ginza became a massacre.
Though the forces of the Empire and its satellite kingdoms posed no real threat to the State
of Japan, the presence of an interdimensional portal in the heart of Tokyo could not be
tolerated.
With a warlike, aggressive Empire on the other side, the safety of Japan could only be certain
if both sides of the gate fell under its control and jurisdiction.
And thus the JSDF fought there.
Japan Self Defense Forces Base Alnus, is the result of this objective, a unique military
district located in what has come to be called the “Special Region”.
Its purpose is to guard the entrance to the Gate, ensuring that nothing enters Japan without
the express permission of the JSDF.
Increasingly however, it has also become the means in which travel to the Special Region
is limited.
With the other nations of Earth, the United States, Russian Federation and People’s
Republic of China greatly desiring their own presence on the far side of the gate, JSDF
Alnus no longer solely protects Japan, but the Special Region as well.
The complex legality regarding the Japanese use of military force, places JSDF Alnus in
a singular position, even disregarding the fantastical realm in which it exists.
In the context of international law, it is considered the sovereign territory of Japan,
though whether this is a temporary measure or the prelude to full annexation has been
kept deliberately vague by the Japanese government.
In practical terms, the territory claimed by the JSDF is a quasi-colonial administrative
entity.
Its governance is almost entirely handled by the Japanese Self Defense Forces, with
a Lieutenant General representing the highest military authority present.
Civilian oversight remains limited, though the approval of the Japanese government is
still required for any major military operations.
Further complicating the status of JSDF Alnus is the rapid expansion of both Japanese military
forces and installations within its borders.
Originally nothing more than a series of trenches, weapon emplacements and temporary structures,
the territory has been increasingly fortified and developed.
An administrative complex, barracks, motor pool, hospital and airfield have all been
established, together with various amenities serving local personnel.
Amidst the rapid destabilization of the Empire of Sadera, various refugees have also settled
within JSDF Alnus.
The base has accordingly become a center of trade, with goods from each side of the gate
regularly sold within stores and markets.
A civilian community has flourished outside the main military sector, expanding in its
own right to include permanent residences for the displaced peoples of the Special Region.
Its enormously advanced standard of living compared to what exists elsewhere has attracted
those from all across the content.
Not all of these displaced peoples are human, but members of persecuted sentient species.
JSDF Alnus is likely one of the few places in the Special region where these groups exist
without fear of repression.
The intermingling of different species, and different worlds has created a unique cultural
environment, one whose importance can only increase as trade and contact between Earth
and the Special region expands.
Ultimately however, JSDF Alnus remains a military base with its own dedicated forces.
Much of the equipment stationed there however is comparably old, reflecting a very deliberate
policy on the part of the Japanese government.
With the collapse of the Gate or the sudden evacuation of the base a very real scenario,
Japan has avoided deploying any advanced equipment to the Special Region that it cannot afford
to abandon if required.
Furthermore, as the Special Region lacks GPS or military networks, the mobilization of
more advanced equipment would greatly increase the economic burden of maintaining JSDF Alnus.
Faced with Kingdoms whose own technology has barely progressed beyond crossbows and windmills,
even second rate Japanese equipment is more than enough to completely dominate the special
region.
The effectiveness of Japanese military equipment against even fully mobilized and battle-hardened
imperial armies set the tone for the relationship between the Earth and Special Region.
The mere presence of JSDF Alnus and the comparatively limited deployment of its forces has been
enough to destabilize the entire region and threaten the complete collapse of the Empire
of Sadera.
Yet Japanese military forces have also been of great benefit to the people of the Special
Region, especially in the eradication of hostile, indigenous life forms.
The JSDFs actions against what the Japanese Government designated a “Special Region
Type A Dangerous Beast”, but known more informally as a Flame Dragon, was of particular
cultural significance.
Almost without effort, forces of JSDF Alnus removed from the Special Region one of its
most dangerous and cruel forces of nature.
In the limited time in which the two worlds connected by the Gate have interacted, it
is clear the relationship remains an unbalanced one.
While small by the standards of Earth’s nations, JSDF Alnus represents the greatest
concentration of military power anywhere on the continent, and likely the world.
How this power is used however, must be the ultimate concern of both worlds.