This is my latest attempt at a serious AltHist. As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome. The POD being that the Empire of Japan occupies all of Sakhalin and the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan are dropped earlier and have a differenct effect on Japan and the world in general. And now, on with the show:
The Empire of Japan was only a fraction of what it had been at the start of the war. Wherein the Empire of Japan once controlled almost all of East Asia and had designs on the pacific, including Australia and New Zealand; they were now down to just the Home Islands, Manchuria, the Northern Territories, Sakhalin, Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula. Since the United States had declared war against them for their attack on the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbour, the Americans had pushed the Empire back, having suffered the humiliation of having their Dutch East Indies positions overrun and taken from them by the Americans. With the possibility that their Empire is in danger, the Japanese recall troops to fortify and defend the Home Islands, Manchuria, the Northern Territories, Sakhalin, Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula from American aggression.