Chapter 677: Indian-Pacific Theatre Division Map Japan/ Co-Prosperity Sphere
The Naval Theatre that the Empire of Japan and it's allies inside the Co-Prosperity Sphere operated in could be divided into a couple of regions, that it's forces operated in. First there was the
Northeast Pacific Area (北東太平洋方面 Hokutō Taiheiyō Hōmen) of the Northeast Area Fleet (北東太平洋 方面艦隊 Hokutō Taiheiyō Hōmen Kantai) under Boshirō Hosogaya (細萱 戊子郎 Hosogaya Boshirō that stretched from Karafuto/ Sakhalin and Hokkaido over the Aleutians to Alaska, the West Coast of Canada, Washington and Oregon. In the West they were supported by the Imperial Manchu Navy, who alongside the Imperial Chosen Navy also helped in the Japanese Sea beside the Imperial Japanese Navy. In the Central Pacific, there was the
Central Pacific Area (中部 太平洋方面 Chūbu Taiheiyō Hōmen) of the Central Pacific Area Fleet (中部 太平洋方面艦隊 Chūbu Taiheiyō Hōmen Kantai) under Nishizō Tsukahara (塚原 二四三 Tsukahara Nishizō) that stretched from the East Coast of Japan and the Phillippine Sea to California, Mexico to Central America. The
Southeast Pacific Area (南東太平洋方面 Nantō Taiheiyō Hōmen) of the Southeast Pacific Area Fleet (南東太平洋 方面艦隊 Nantō Taiheiyō Hōmen Kantai) under Nobutake Kondō (近藤 信竹 Kondō Nobutake), from south of the Equator and the overall the New Guinea (Niugini/Niu Gini/ Papua) naval area all the way south to Australia, New Zealand and the West Coast of South America under Jinichi Kusaka (草鹿 任一 Kusaka Jin'ichi). This force was partly supported by local Co-Prosperity Sphere Navies, like the Royal Papua/ Nuigini Navy and the Ganap Philippine Republic/ Royal Navy.
Because of the Japanese Imperial conquests and domination of this region, the Pacific Ocean was known internally in the Co-Prosperity Sphere as the Japanese/ Nippon Ocean and viewed as the main naval battleground against the Allied forces. Then there was the
China Area (支那方面 Shina Hōmen) of the China Area Fleet (支那方面艦隊 Shina Hōmen Kantai) in the Chinese Sea (or South Japanese Sea) under Mineichi Koga (古賀 峯一 Koga Mineichi). This force was supported by the local Co-Prosperity Sphere Navies, mainly the Imperial Yankoku Navy, the Imperial National Han Chinese Navy and the Imperial Taikoku Navy. The
Southern Expeditionary Area (南遣方面 Nanken Kantai Hōmen) of the Southern Expeditionary Fleet (南遣艦隊 Nanken Kantai) under Shigeyoshi Inoue (井上 成美 Inoue Shigeyoshi), was supported by the local Ganap Philippine Republic/ Royal Navy, the Imperial Vietnamese Navy, the Royal Cambodian Navy, the Imperial Siamese/ Thai Navy, the Brunei Sultanate Navy, the Sulawesi Sultanate Navy, the Royal Moluccas Navy, the Riyal Bali Navy, the Royal Tanggara Navy, the Sumatra Sultanate Navy, the Karaton Java Navy. The
Indian Expeditionary Area (インド洋遣方面 Indoyō Kantai Hōmen) of the Indian Area Fleet (インド洋方面艦隊 Indoyō Hōmen Kantai) under Chūichi Nagumo (南雲 忠一 Nagumo Chūichi) stretching from the west coast of Burma along Southeast Asian Islands and Ressource Regions all the way to the West Coast of Australia, including all of the Indian Ocean. It was partly supported by the Royal Burmese Navy and the Azad Hind Navy (provisional Assam and Bengal/ Northeast Indian government navy). Unlike the Pacific Ocean Navy, the Indian Ocean Navy never had a huge priority during much of the Second Great War, always fighting for reinforcements and supplies with the Pacific Ocean Forces, were the Empire of Japan saw their main enemy in the Pacific War.