WesWorld

January 1, 1947
The first day of the new year, a number of keels were laid down for various new ships. Construction was started on two Ashida class cruisers as well as two I-310 class submarines.

A more unusual vessel laid down today is the Akitsushima. Unlike other Japanese amphibious warfare vessels, this one has a large dock running along almost its entire length and the dock is capable of taking on a variety of vessels and additional floatplanes but it will mainly be used by numerous landing ships.

Finally two submarines, the Salta and the Santiago del Estero, were laid down for the Argentine Navy. Once completed, these will be the best submarines in the world apart from those in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy. (*)

January 5, 1947
The Goverment has released documents with details regarding the various maritime zones that Japan established back in 1940. The documents describe the various zones, the rules within those zones that apply to all vessels (both Japanese and foreign) as well as the Japanese authorities, the listing of mandatory equipment for all vessels and the dealings of smuggling and piracy.

Of note is that, with two exceptions (**), foreign warships are allowed to pass unhindered through Japanese territorial waters. Also almost all East and Southeast Asian nations (***) are allowed to exploit economic resources within Japan's Economic Control Zone.

January 7, 1947
Today was the first flight of the new Nakajima G11N bomber. The G11N is a larger and heavier version of the G10N capable of carrying a greater amount of bombs and powered by six Nakajima Ha-54 36-cylinder radial engines driving contra-rotating propellers. (****)

January 15, 1947
Maki Yuko and several other members of the Japanese Mountaineering Organization met with Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, the Mahārājdhirāja of Nepal, today. They received permission and the blessings from Nepal's ruler to climb to the top of Mount Sagarmāthā (Everest) next year. (*****)

This year the plan is the climb to the top of Mont Blanc. There are rumors of plans for the Japanese Team to scale the infamous Nordwand of the Eiger, a mere 120 kilometers to the Northeast of Mont Blanc, but Maki Yuko denied this. "There are already enough dangerous opportunities with the mountains on our list. No need to add another one that could derail all our plans."

January 20, 1947
Today submarine I-310 was completed at Kagoshima Navy Yard while submarine I-311 was completed at Wakayama Navy Yard. Both submarines will be prepared for their shakedown cruises which will start next week.



(*) That, of course, is my opinion, although Argentina ordering their submarines from Japan could be used as proof that they are.

(**) The exceptions being China and Germany who are on the Ban List due to their recent reckless and dangerous behavior which is considered to be a threat to the region.

(***) The exception being China.

(****) When you look at wiki's G10N entry, the Wesworld G10N follows the values of the smaller version while the G11N will follow the values of the bigger version mixed slightly with the B-36 (as in some more bombs).

(*****) While not a western nation and thus not affected by Nepal's "Forbidden" Status , it still seems like the proper thing to do for Japan to ask Nepal's ruler for permission as well as his blessings.

Quoted

January 5, 1947
The Goverment has released documents with details regarding the various maritime zones that Japan established back in 1940. The documents describe the various zones, the rules within those zones that apply to all vessels (both Japanese and foreign) as well as the Japanese authorities, the listing of mandatory equipment for all vessels and the dealings of smuggling and piracy.

Of note is that, with two exceptions (**), foreign warships are allowed to pass unhindered through Japanese territorial waters. Also almost all East and Southeast Asian nations (***) are allowed to exploit economic resources within Japan's Economic Control Zone.

Have the details referred to been posted to the Japanese encyclopedia for reference by other players?

Not yet. I have a whole list of unreasonable stuff which I have for months but am a bit hesitant to post as I feel that it still misses some stuff and perhaps might look a bit too modern (as it "makes more sense in 2016 than in late 1940s)...

... hell, because of that list, I changed the January part of my news many times, adding the January 5 bit to the list and then shifting it to the "not to be used" list and back and forth and back and forth, etc. I even made a reply for the Germans should they complain about their presence on the Ban List indicating that they only have themselves to blame for their actions. Even before hitting the "submit" button I was still wondering if I should keep it in or not... I finally thought "whatever" and posted it.

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

Not yet. I have a whole list of unreasonable stuff which I have for months but am a bit hesitant to post as I feel that it still misses some stuff and perhaps might look a bit too modern (as it "makes more sense in 2016 than in late 1940s)...

... hell, because of that list, I changed the January part of my news many times, adding the January 5 bit to the list and then shifting it to the "not to be used" list and back and forth and back and forth, etc. I even made a reply for the Germans should they complain about their presence on the Ban List indicating that they only have themselves to blame for their actions. Even before hitting the "submit" button I was still wondering if I should keep it in or not... I finally thought "whatever" and posted it.

Then I shall hold further comment until you have posted the details, so I might evaluate them and respond appropriately.

Well, if you want something to read, I could post it while I am busy with some explanatory points on all those points I have so you have at least some idea what it is about...

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

Well, if you want something to read, I could post it while I am busy with some explanatory points on all those points I have so you have at least some idea what it is about...

Oh, I am willing to wait until you have finished. It will be more coherent and comprehensible then.

Hmm... looks like it will take quite a while to get that sorted...

February 5, 1947
Carrier Ittanmomen was launched today at Yokosuka Navy Yard.


February 9, 1947
Yesterday the new E-4 locomotive was taken into service on the high-speed Aomori-Kagoshima line. The locomotive is a slightly larger but more powerful version of the older E-2 locomotive currently used for the Nippon Express. During tests in the last months, the E-4 reached speeds of around 250 kilometers per hour, although the speed it will operate at will be somewhat lower at around 200 kilometers per hour.

Another introduction during the first journey of the E-4 locomotive was the inclusion of two observation wagons, one 1st class and one 2nd class, with a streamlined dome on top from which travellers can look around at the landscape during the train's journey. The two domed wagons were expecially poular on the Edo-Nagoya section of track where the train passes Mount Fuji.

The train left Aomori at exacly 6:24 and arrived slightly ahead of time at Kagoshima at 19:53:39 which comes at an average speed for the whole journey of about 163 kilometers per hour. (*)


(Picture of the E-4 and its passenger wagons, similar to the picture I made of the E-2 4 years ago)

February 12, 1947
Pacifica's Minister of Finance, Manuia Chatsaga, met with his Belgian counterpart, Paul Guillaume van Zeeland, today. The two men agreed to and signed a trade deal that will see a bilateral exchange of Belgian coal for Pacifican agricultural and fisheries produce.


February 15, 1947
While the whole of Northern Europe has ground to a halt due to the harsh winter which has seen lots of snow and very low temperatures, our winter here seems to be just a fairly normal one. Weather and temperatures yesterday (**):

Sapporo - highest -4.7 degrees C, lowest -11.1 degrees C. Sunny periods.
Edo - highest 2.0 degrees C, lowest -0.8 degrees C. Wintry showers. Precipitation up to 17mm.
Kyoto - highest 2.2 degrees C, lowest -1.6 degrees C. Wintry showers. Precipitation up to 23mm.
Kagoshima - highest 13.4 degrees C, lowest 5.7 degrees C. Showers. Precipitation up to 31mm.
Naze - highest 20.7 degrees C, lowest 12.6 degrees C. Light rain. Precipitation up to 10mm.


February 25, 1947
A major railway accident took place on the Hachikō Line between Komagawa and Higashi-Hannō stations. A Japanese Government Railways passenger train derailed causing a number of cars to roll over into a field.



February 28, 1947
Nakajima revealed the plans for its new carrier plane today. It is fairly similar to the experimental MXN8, though the new plane will only have a single engine which is more powerful than the two used for the MXN8. It is expected that the plane will make its first flight within the next few months and become operational in 1948.

(***)



(*) Probably not entirely correct but I kept it simple and added up the times of the various sections of the Shinkansen line as well as the distance along the Shinkansen lines from Aomori to Kagoshima and then converted it from the maximum speeds on those sections to the maximum speed of the E-4.

(**) Stupid me forgot to bookmark the site where I got the weather data from.

(***) Supermarine Attacker used for the A9N jet with Hood's permission.

March 13, 1947
There are vague reports coming in from Europe about panic outbreaks all across Ireland with all the melting of the snow from this winter. Lots of Irishmen have rushed to their local pub to drink rescue their favorite whiskeys before they get ruined by the massive amount of water from the melting snow and ice that is causing flooding everywhere.

In the mean time, Weather across Japan is normal as usual. No ridiculous amounts of snow dumped anywhere, no massive amounts of snow being melted and turned into enormous floodings, no Typhoons, no Tsunamis.


March 16, 1947
The Bohol Chronicle indicated several weeks ago that the Filipino Ministry of Civil Affairs was looking for additional dredges to be used to speed up the expansion of Itu Aba Island.

Japan has indicated that the Philippines could easily borrow a few of the dredges which were used to deepen the various harbours and waterways so they could handle the big battleships being constructed at the moment.

However the Filipino Ministry of Civil Affairs never responded to the offer in these last two weeks and with rumors of working on a deal for another large dredging operation being planned, the possibility to borrow Japanese dredges no longer seems to be available.


March 25, 1947
Today submarines I-402 and I-403 were launched. There are rumors of plans for an even bigger submarine to be laid down soon.



April 13, 1947
The submarines Salta and Santiago del Estero being built for Argentina were launched today at the Nigata and Nihama Naval Yards. The Argentine Naval Attaché to Japan was in attendance at Nigata to oversee the ceremony as the hull was floated out. His wife christened the Salta with the traditional bottle of champagne.



May 4, 1947
After having looked into the Hachikō Line derailment which resulted in the death of 184 passengers and the injury of 495 more after four cars rolled over into a field back in February, investigators have determined that the derailment was caused when the train was travelling with excessive speed when coming into a sharp curve in the route. Also the high casualty rate was caused by overcrowding of the wooden passenger cars.

The Ministry of Railways has determined that all wooden passenger cars that are still being used in Japan should all be replaced with steel-bodied cars as quickly as possible.



June 1, 1947
The Yamato and Hiyo arrived at Yokosuka today. They will be cleaned and prepared for a trip to take part in several naval reviews in Europe. The two ships will leave later this month.


June 14, 1947
The flagship of the Imperial Navy, the battleship Yamato, left Yokosuka today together with the carrier Hiyo, the fleet oiler Asira Maru and a small group of cruisers as escort. The Yamato and the Hiyo will take part in France's Bastille Day naval review at Toulon on July 14 and Russia's Navy Day naval review at Petrograd on July 27.


June 25, 1947
"Reports indicate that the Germans are woried about reports from Britain regarding the construction of 4 large carriers and some large cruisers," Prime Minister Tojo Hideki told. "Anything you can tell me about it?"

"Not really," Minister of Navy, Admiral Mito Hisashi, replied. "They are of unknown size, but regardless of the sizes of the carriers and the cruisers, I believe that the Germans may reply in a similar fashion."

"What about us?"

"Our plans will not change when it comes to ships being laid down. However there is a chance that with Project Ishinagenjo that the C7 design will be used instead of the C5 design so it will become slightly more expensive and require more materials to build each of the four carriers."

"I think that it should not be too hard to work the extra costs into our plans so if you feel that the C7 design is the better choice then that is the one that our yards should be building."

"Very well, sir. I will make sure that the design bureau will focus its efforts into improving the C7 design."

July 8, 1947
Today the first of the new Type 6 uniforms were issued to members of the Special Operations Brigade. The uniform makes use of a camouflage pattern using dark brown, dark green and pale green. The plan is that the Type 6 uniform will eventually be issued to all members of the Imperial Ground Forces.


July 27, 1947
Today Nakajima's new jet-powered carrier plane, the A9N, made its first flight and the second prototype is expected to be completed and ready to fly on Friday (August 1). The first prototype will be used to perform many performance tests while the second prototype will be used to test carrier landings and take-offs.



August 3, 1947
Due to great success and interest in their ships, the Asian Historic Society (Nippon Division) has set aside funding for the construction of a replica of the third vessel of the Deroiteru Maru class, the Toyotama Maru. Construction of the Toyotama Maru will start in October.

Named after Toyotama-hime, daughter of Ryūjin (the god of the sea) and mother of the first Emperor of Japan, the original Toyotama Maru served as flagship of the Tokugawa Shogunate Navy for many decades after the loss of the Deroiteru Maru until she was destroyed by the Great Yaeyama Tsunami while visiting the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1771.


Toyotama Maru departing from Nagasaki with sister ship Maaya Maru in the background. Painting by unknown Dutch artist on Dejima around 1720.
(actually a painting of the 1665 Zeven Provincien of which I slightly altered the flags. Looking around, I could not find who the artist was or when it was painted)


August 18, 1947
The life of the second prototype A9N was a short one as it was lost today when trying to land on the carrier Hiyo. The arrestor hook failed and the pilot could not avoid hitting one of the planes parked at the front of the flight deck. The A9N ended in the water about 50 meters off the bow of the Hiyo. The pilot sustained only minor injuries and, after abandoning the sinking jet, was picked up by one of Hiyo's escorts. The A7K4 fighter that the A9N hit was damaged beyond repair but it was fortunate that it did not carry any ordnance and no fire was ignited. Due to fuel leaking from the damaged plane, it was pushed overboard as a precaution and the deck was meticulously cleaned.

The Navy has indicated that three similar incidents happened during tests with the MXN8 although with those incidents the Hiyo's flightdeck was empty and the pilot was able to get the test jet back in the air.

... should have finished the 1947 stuff earlier...

August 31, 1947
Popular racing driver Iwasaki Takahiro was killed today during the Fuji 200 Race. While going through Turn 1 during the 47th lap, Iwasaki, who was running fifth, lost control of his Toyota and slammed head-on into the outside wall of Turn 2 at over 200 km/h. Iwasaki was pronounced dead after he was brought to the track hospital and was presumed to have been killed instantly upon impact. The race was eventually won by Mazda driver Yamaguchi Akira.



September 22, 1947
A shootout between two rivaling Yakuza groups on an express train to Osaka resulted in the death of 4 people and 14 injured. Those killed were identified as Yakuza members.



October 31, 1947
Following two accidents in Britain in quick succession as well as one of the deadliest accidents in Japan's railroad history back in February, the Ministry of Railways has looked through a lot of paper work and concluded that during the 1920s, the 1930s and the 1940s up to this point, there have been a total of 51 railroad accidents involving 81 trains and resulting in at least 1,939 people killed and at least 3,365 people injured.

The Ministry of Railways is making plans in order to make railroad travel safer which is especially important on the high speed line that runs from Aomori via Edo and Kyoto to Kagoshima. While it is pretty hard to combat the forces of nature as well as incidents such as last month's Sekigahara-Kashiwabara shootout, the Ministry of Railways feels that a lot of improvements can be made with things like signal safety, material maintenance, speed disipline, procedures and personel training.

One step already taken earlier in the year was that all wooden passenger cars still in use on Japanese lines (estimated to be about 3000) are to be replaced with steel-bodied cars as quickly as possible. The Ministry of Railways indicated that it was decided earlier this month that as of January 1, 1950 wooden passenger cars will be banned from running on any of the railroad lines within the Empire of Japan.



November 1, 1947
Submarines I-315 and I-316 were launched today. Also submarines Salta and Santiago del Estero, being built for the Argentine Navy, were completed.

A letter was sent to the Argentine ambassador that he should inform his government that payment of the Salta and Santiago del Estero was incomplete and has been taken from the other 4 submarines to correct it. The letter also indicated that if the error was not corrected, Japan could not guarantee the delivery of the final submarine of the second group, the San Rafael, to the Argentine Navy.


November 9, 1947
As expected, following the announcement in newspapers on November 6 about the sale of the former Filipino aviation support ship Lagonoy by South Africa to China, the Philippines severed diplomatic ties by called back their ambassador and kicking the South African ambassador out of the country.

In the mean time, Prime Minister Tojo and his government are discussing the matter and looking whether Japan should, like the Philippines, take diplomatic steps against South Africa because of what Filipino newspapers already call The Lagonoy Affair. While the vessel wasn't Japanese and is no threat to the Imperial Japanese Navy, it does pose a danger to the fragile balance in the region between China and other nations. Also indications are that it was not a matter of South Africa buying the vessel and later deciding to sell it to China but a deliberate act of buying the vessel for China.


November 14, 1947
Upon receiving the report of the demise of King Alexander in a motor accident, the Empire of Japan sends its condolences to the King's family.


November 17, 1947
A government official announced today that Japan's Ambassador to the South African Empire and his staff have departed Pretoria and are returning to Japan.

Unlike the Philippines however, the South African ambassador and the staff of the embassy of South African Empire were not declared persona non grata. However Prime Minister Tojo Hideki personally informed the South African ambassador that he was no longer welcome inside any government building or meet with any government officials for the next five years.



December 20, 1947
The large submarines I-402 and I-403 were completed today. They will start their shakedown cruises early next week once they are stocked and fueled.