Time Slip Reiwa Japan

029 - Siberian War of Independence - 2

The Siberian War of Independence, as it was later called, was not as well fought as it sounded. Especially during the first few months, after Admiral Ewald's defection, there were only sporadic skirmishes. This was due to the situation in Siberia. The infrastructure of Siberia had not yet recovered from the damage caused by the Soviet-Japanese War, so no matter how large a force the Red Army planned to suppress, it did not have the capacity to do so.

On top of that, the deprivation caused by the Five-Year Plan deprived the land of Siberia of enough power to support an army. Transporting troops would take a long time, and the food and other supplies needed to operate as an army would have to be brought in from the rear – the western part of the Soviet Union. No matter how much Stalin threatened or blasted them, it was to be expected that the Red Army would be slow to move. On the other hand, many people in the independence movement, including former Red Army troops stationed in Siberia, were on the verge of life or death, and were unable to take any active action.

. . .

Japan-USSR Negotiations

The negotiations between Japan and the Soviet Union were about Admiral Ewald, the one who started the war of independence in Siberia. It was a demand for the immediate surrender of Admiral Ewald, a Soviet national asset. As for the captain and political officer, they demanded that they be handed over as criminals.

Japan was planning to grant asylum to the Republic of Okhotsk after interviewing the captain, political officers, and crew, and therefore declared at the outset that it would refuse the request for extradition as criminals out of humanitarian considerations. The problem was Admiral Ewald. Japan had no obligation to return the ship to the Soviet Union, but at the same time, there was the issue of its interests in the Primorsky Krai.

The Soviet diplomats were desperate: if Admiral Ewald was not returned, they would be forced to eliminate Japan's economic activities in Primorsky Krai in accordance with the reparation agreement of the Soviet-Japanese War Termination Treaty. The representative of the Soviet diplomatic corps declared that the Soviet Union had no choice but to consider that the faith between Japan and the Soviet Union had been lost.

This outraged Japan, who denounced the high-handed attitude of the Soviet Union and argued that if it did not abide by the terms of the treaty, it would be forced to return to the state of war that existed before the treaty was signed. The conference is in turmoil. The news of the armed uprising in Siberia convinced both sides that the other side had done it. *1 At any rate, the negotiations were temporarily adjourned until the situation calmed down. At this point, both Japan and the Soviet Union judged that the uprising in Siberia would not last for a long time.

. . .

Primorsky Krai Response, Japan/United States

Japan was not involved in this war from the beginning, which was surprising to those who knew the course of events after the end of the Siberian War of Independence. It was unexpected. It had been working to reduce the Soviet Union's national strength in order to reduce the pressure on the Japanese Federation, but it had not envisioned that an independence movement would break out all over Siberia. Therefore, at the meeting with the American diplomats, which was held to understand the situation and plan countermeasures with the American companies operating in Siberia, mainly in the Primorsky Krai under Japanese control, the first thing the Japanese said was that they suspected an American conspiracy.

The US diplomats were stunned and asked if it was not a Japanese plot. The representative of the Republic of Guam, who was acting as an intermediary between Japan and the US, looked up to the heavens and said, "Holy shit," when he grasped the situation after this brief exchange. However, once he realized the situation, he made a quick decision. He decided to accumulate forces and supplies on the border and intervene if possible – to separate Siberia from the Soviet Union and establish a buffer state.