People's Republic of (North) Japan?

Hmm, you mind if I could borrow some of that for TTL? A good portion of that could easily be used to demonstrate how education in East Japan operated under Communism (i.e. portraying Ezô as the victim by extrapolating what happened in Hokkaidô to the rest of northern Japan, and hence - via a possible logical fallacy - suggesting that only Communism would eliminate Ezô's victimhood). Of course, I had already known about much of that - I was just a little bit fuzzy about the dates, and suggesting it in those terms as a possible presentation of the *East Japanese view of history.

(scratching head) Well it would make sense.
 

Dorozhand

Banned
In 1950, war breaks out when Kim Il Sung invades South Korea while dictator x of North Japan did the same. The war came to a stalemate with the Soviets and Chinese intervening and a third world war threatening to explode out of the turmoil.

The communist powers, and the Americans, however, decide to meet and agree to a peace. The "Nara Accords", signed in Japan, agree upon a Korea united under Kim, and a Japan united under the south.

The South Korean government and anyone else who wants to leave is brought aboard the US Navy to the new Japan, and the North Japanese government and anyone else who wants to leave is carried aboard the Soviet and Chinese Navies to their choice of North Korea, China, or the Soviet Union. Most choose the USSR, and many members of the North Japanese government become prominent members of the Soviet politburo.
 
Neither Truman nor Eisenhower could surrender South Korea to the communists.




QUOTE=Galaxy999;4959934]In 1950, war breaks out when Kim Il Sung invades South Korea while dictator x of North Japan did the same. The war came to a stalemate with the Soviets and Chinese intervening and a third world war threatening to explode out of the turmoil.

The communist powers, and the Americans, however, decide to meet and agree to a peace. The "Nara Accords", signed in Japan, agree upon a Korea united under Kim, and a Japan united under the south.

The South Korean government and anyone else who wants to leave is brought aboard the US Navy to the new Japan, and the North Japanese government and anyone else who wants to leave is carried aboard the Soviet and Chinese Navies to their choice of North Korea, China, or the Soviet Union. Most choose the USSR, and many members of the North Japanese government become prominent members of the Soviet politburo.[/QUOTE]
 
We should keep in mind Hokkaido's population was, and is tiny.

First I don't think the Soviets really want Hokkaido. They may try to trade it for East Berlin and a promise to keep Hokkaido de-militarized. If such a deal could be made, Cold War tensions in Europe could go down considerably.

Second, in case they end up keeping Hokkaido, I don't believe North Korea or East Germany is the model it's likely to follow. Hokkaido has far smaller population and industry than either of those countries, it's more comparable to Mongolia and this would offer an instructive precedent. Mongolia was officially an independent country, but in reality a SSR in all but name for decades, gaining true sovereignty only after Stalin's death.

The People's Republic of Hokkaido would thus be a tiny country with official sovereignty but ruled as a de facto SSR probably until the fall of the Soviet Union, if the Cold War plays out the same way. I would expect it to have been reunified with Japan by now since integrating such a population would be far easier than German unification. However Russia may extort a considerably amount of "investments" out of Japan to give up Hokkaido. This may play a role in the Russian economic recovery.

Given the small size of the population I wouldn't expect PRH to amount to any major threat to it's neighbors in the Cold War. It's just too small to matter. OTOH the loss of Hokkaido as an resource for food and forestry would harm Japan's post-war economy.

Likely the biggest card the Soviets would have in their hands in regards to Japan if there were a Soviet occupation of Northern Japan. The Kurils and Sakhalin by treaty go the USSR, Hokkaido with its traditionally separate Ainu populations would be a decent propaganda for the Soviets to go for the "liberating oppressed peoples" route. The breadbasket going to the Soviets is going to be something the Americans don't want for a variety of reasons, namely because cutting a deal with the USSR means that the US has to risk a huge backlash from Japanese people for letting their countrymen go up the river to old Uncle Joe.

Meanwhile Stalin is in an even better position to be a horse-trader than OTL, and again, it's much more possible that he'll throw Hokkaido away for East Berlin, it really depends on whether he judges it more important to focus on European or Asian affairs, given that he just got out of one HELL of a war with Germany, probably going to go for East Berlin.
 
Top