"Do not treat China as an enemy. Otherwise it will develop a counter-strategy to demolish the United States in the Asia-Pacific" - Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister and statesman.

May 27th, 2025

East Fuji Maneuver Area, Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, Imperial State of Japan
5th Mechanized Brigade - 1st Division "Nerima"

2nd Lt. Arima Kousei

While cyber shinobis, sailors and aerospace soldiers were the first to draw blood, the "land-lubbers" of the Ground Defense Force did not simply sat idly. In fact, the Hokkaido-based 17th Tank (Armored) Brigade, part of the 7th Armored Division, has been rushed to South Korea to support the country against the invading North Korea who for obvious reasons had joined the war effort as a follow on force to Ground Commmand's own separate rapidly deployable Central Readiness Regiment (CRR) also known as Chū-Soku-Ren, a wheeled armored vehicle's regimental combat team.

At the same time, elements of Army 3rd Division's 16th Rapid Deployment Brigade and Navy's 2nd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade were fighting for their lives in Taiwan. The last reports I heard painted a hell on earth: intense fighting, and a slow, costly advance by Chinese forces following their successful, yet bloody, landing operations.

Last but not least, the Army was also engaging in coastal and air defense efforts on the Home Islands targeting Chinese manned and unmanned naval vessel and aircrafts as well as any incoming missiles from both China and DPR Korea.

One thing that you have to know about our Army is that here in Japan, space was a premium, and as the 5th Brigade was slated to deploy first, our heavy armor were the first to use this maneuver area. It's built with two infantry battalions - the 31st and 32nd Mechanized Infantry Regiments and one tank battalion, the 11th Tank Regiment, supported by company sized reconnaissance unit, artillery attached from division artillery brigade, aerospace defense (also attachment from division), and other support.

If the range was unavailable, virtual reality based simulation was used, greatly shortened the cycle. Also, did you know that one striking difference between old and new Kaori and I was that we wore glasses no more? That's right. Upon being officially second lieutenants, Kaori and I were quickly sent off to the Japan Eye Center, a specialized eye hospital although privately operated but an authorized partner of the Ministry of Defense for the purpose of the mandatory vision-enhancement surgery.

Across the continent, a good number of adults had myopia up to eighty percent here in East Asia. With the fact that our defense forces had extensive love with screens, this measure was important. The second difference was that we spent longer time under the sun, particularly during physical, something that many health conscious people promoted for many good reasons.

Back to the fields...

"Put it on the drive, Private."

"Will do, sir." The core of the 11th - and the whole division's tank force - was the Mitsubishi Type 10 Kai (Modernized) Hitomaru main battle tank. It sported an indigenously built NATO-compliant 120mm tank cannon, a remotely-controlled roof-mounted heavy machine gun, and a co-axial turret mounted medium machine gun. In addition it also featured a diesel-electric hybrid engine.

Watari was assigned as my driver, while I am the commander of one of these machines.

To be well-versed in the way of a warrior in general and a tanker especially, you'll need repetition. Just like how I mastered the piano and Kaori with the violin in the first place, or for Watari and Tsubaki, their favorite sports.

Before the exercise began, routine Physical Training was on order.

"The Colonel put on on exercise like this, sure, we cannot rush things... but honestly a good part of me just want to go all in, do or die."

"Sir, why talk about dying?" asked one of the sergeants at 1st Lieutenant Kenji Kusunoki, commander of the 3rd tank platoon of this company. Even with everyone were focusing on what is ahead, I could heard it all from my fellow officer's mouth, behind me and Horokeu's platoons. And I can't lie; I sometimes shared his sentiment as well.

"...Looks that your conversation with Hazuki-san was not pleasant." stated the sergeant.

"...Yes, I have called her up. She hung up the moment she heard my voice." The eldest among junior officers of this company, he's also the only one who was already married before the war. "She took pains to nurse the sick back to health. But she can't spare time to help me taking care of my father, the only parent that I have. She's not willing to leave the Aerospace Force. So after all of this, nothing can stop me for divorcing her."

"I don't think so, sir" the same NCO, Sergeant First Class Enomoto Taki, answered. "You and Mrs. Hazuki will get a fresh start."

Back to the matters at hand;

"Autoloader ready." Unlike most Western-style battle tanks like the American M1 Abrams and German Leopard 2 who had four crewmembers; commander, driver, gunner, and loader, Japanese tanks starting from Type 90 Kyu-Maru and the newer Type 10 Hitomaru as well as our neighboring South Korean K2 Black Panther (except it's Turkish derivative the Altay) and the upcoming K3, French Leclerc and its upcoming Europe-wide successor the MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) Tiger had shed off the loader position in favor of a mechanical device to load the main gun with shells, hence the name "autoloader", reducing the crew to three.

"Gunner, Sabot, Tank!" I commanded to the gunner assigned to me, named Sergeant Hitomi Kitazawa, a regular serviceman from Yokohama.

This particular round I relied solely by kinetic energy to kill heavily armored tanks by a very thin fin-stabilized needle or dart-like projectile supported with a device called sabot, hence the name Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot or APFSDS in short. By the time that penetrator made it into the tank's interior, it would fracture and turn into a deadly high speed shower of razor-sharp shrapnel, and with the Type 11 Depleted Uranium Penetrator, it acquired another property; incendiary. You see, that substance was flammable, and upon impacting on hard surfaces; in this case, tank armor, the process of penetrating the armor generated an extensive heat.

"Up!"

The range was shown on his display, Kitazawa put the reading on the loud for us, before I put on the final decision. "Fire!"

"On the way!"

"How can it miss?"

"Aim to the center of the target. Hurry up!!"

Right now, we're firing off the tank cannon and it's machine gun in the name of target practice in the unit level. Especially with Captain Kawashima was notoriously hard to please.

I vividly recall the numerous weekend passes Captain Kawashima revoked due to our subordinates' infractions.

"Under my command, the Kirin Company will be the best tank company in this regiment, and every infantry platoon under this team (as attachment) will be given the same touch, here and in the battlefield!"

Not even my disciplinarian headmistress back at Okutsu Musical High School, the late Mrs. Yumi Yamate, was as this strict as the Captain.

"Fire"

"On the way!" Kitazawa barked.

Mitsubishi Type 10 Tank, the "Hitomaru"

"Target, cease fire!" The gunner's second shot had hit the target, a sheet of metal made mobile by the means of unmanned robots that was made to resemble tanks.

In a modern battlefield, those who see the enemy first will be in the advantage.

In terms of organization, during tactical maneuvers, each tank regiment had an infantry company attached to it and vice versa, hence the designation of a Regimental Combat Team. This is what military men and women like us called as "combined arms". It went down to the company level; in which every tank company had an infantry platoon; and otherwise.

Right now in this urban phase of training, the Type 17 Crew Helmet System, with connection to a helmet display system colloquially known among the troops as the "Iron Vision" (after the original developer's name for it), proved invaluable. It projected the outside world directly into my and Watari's vision, eliminating the need to expose our heads. From there, I could see the dismounted infantry platoon taking up positions and engaging targets in the distance.

In case that we have a need to kill in a longer-range than our tank guns could do, we got access to Kawasaki Middle Range MPM - short for Multi-purpose Missile - brigade level company sized missile carriers mounted on a tracked chassis.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Middle Range Multi Purpose Missile System

To augment the MPM, the main gun of Type 10 Kai was also capable to launch gun-launched Israeli-made anti-tank missiles named LAHAT, acronym of Laser Homing Anti-Tank, or in Japanese nomenclature as Type 23 GLMAT (Gun-Launched Missile Anti Tank) due to it being license produced. However, most of us preferred to call it with it's original name.

1st to 2nd platoon were the tanks, while the 3rd (Mechanized) Platoon was the mechanized infantry component of the Team Kirin, administratively the 3rd Platoon, 3rd Company 32nd Infantry Regiment. It's equipped with modernized Mitsubishi Type 89 Kai infantry fighting vehicles, with individual infantry's arsenal include the standard issued Howa Type 20 assault rifles, and two Heckler and Koch made products; G28 marksman rifle and SFP9 pistol. Other equipment include the Belgian FN Minimi light machine gun in 7.62x51mm NATO variant, also known as the Maximi, followed by two types of anti tank weapons; Swedish-origin Carl Gustav M4 reloadable recoilless gun, and German Panzerfaust 3 - tank fist in English - single shot anti-tank rocket launcher. The Howas were fully indigenous from research to production, but foreign types were also built in Japan under license.

Speaking of our service rifle, there was already a 6.8x51 mm variant, not yet widely issued, called Type 22 Rifle used primarily by specialized troops; Army 1st Airborne Brigade paratroopers and 12th Brigade mountain-heliborne troops and Navy marines, as well as special operations forces.  

To add their firepower, my wife's troopers could use the indigenously designed man-portable Type 01 LMAT anti-tank guided missiles stowed inside the troop carriers.

Kusunoki's 3rd Platoon, meanwhile, was soon assigned to another unit; 32nd Infantry Regt's Second Company ("Team Taro"), leaving Team Kirin with 10 tanks.

The 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiment as a whole, as well as 1st Brigade's 12th Infantry Regiment had been scheduled to receive brand-new Mitsubishi Type 22 tracked fighting vehicles, but the war slowed the overall rearmament effort.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 89 IFV (for convenience I will often call it simply as 'troop carrier')

The Mech Platoon is split into two elements; The dismounted element, led by Kaori, the platoon leader, consisted of most of the infantry. The foot mobiles were backed by the mounted element which was under the purview of her platoon sergeant named Sergeant First Class Denjiro Nakashima, a regular serviceman, consisted of the Platoon's vehicles and its turret mounted Type 12 Shin Chu-MAT laser guided anti-tank missiles plus their crews.

The Team's fourth platoon available today was armored scout platoon, our eyes and ears, officially called cavalry (kihei), passed down from the brigade's 2nd Cavalry Company team, itself a detachment from division-level 1st Cavalry Regiment; augmenting the effort of regimental level scout platoons in that regard. 

Their means of fighting for information are two platoons of Type 90, recon variant of Type 89 troop carrier, and a platoon of Type 16 "Maneuver Combat Vehicle" eight by eight wheeled tanks with 105mm cannon and an attached group of four Komatsu LAVs acting as security for the wheeled tanks. In addition, the divisional cavalry also got a company worth of motorcyclists in dirtbikes for rougher terrain. Their flexibility means multiple responsibilities; extra MANPADS team, guides in rough terrain, sniper team, AT team, and dispatch riders alongside divisional signal's motorbike unit. Along with that, a "long range surveillance company" with advanced sensors, comm gears and unmanned systems completed the cavalry regiment.

Each platoon, both tank and mechanized infantry, also enjoyed on-call access to tracked laser anti-drone system from the air defense regiment in addition to rifle-like, portable anti-drone jammers, as well as AA gun and short range SAM cover.

Last but not least were the rest of the specialist attachments passed down from higher ups. Those are field maintenance team, commanded by a Staff Sergeant, mounted on Bushmasters, Isuzu 3,5 ton trucks, and or the newer Isuzu Forward (called Isuzu Giga in some countries). They were also responsible to maintain and operate Type 11 recovery vehicle. Then the artillery observer team, medical section, an intelligence team, a robotic combat vehicle team, an unmanned air vehicle team, and an engineer platoon, all were mounted on turretless version of Type 89 with appropriate equipment related to their each supporting specialties.

Nothing is predictable, and the pre-deployment exercise was tailored specifically for realism.

"RPG team, office building, 11 o'clock" My sight had caught a team of rocket propelled grenade launchers, or it's look-alikes. Those things in real life will be particularly threatening to our infantry and their troop carriers.

"Identified!" It's time for the big bang. And I gave Kitazawa the order. "Fire!"

"On the way!"

"Cease fire, Driver, put us forward!" We could push our way forward with the fact that robotic vehicles, colloquially called "crawlers" were keeping eyes on our own flank. The heaviest and meanest model in our force was called the Type-X, originally developed by an Estonian company before being widely proliferated and license produced, including here in Japan as the Type 23 HUCGV (Heavy Unmanned Combat Ground Vehicle) with it's primary contractor Tsurumaki Technologies. The Type 23 Heavy complemented the home-grown wheeled Type 24s in various roles namely, recon, anti-tank, CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) detection, casualty evacuation, supply, etc.

Type-X Unmanned Ground Vehicle (Type 23 Heavy) - the "Robot Tank"

Also in service is Type-X's little sibling, the TheMIS, designated in Japanese service as Type 23 MUCGV (Medium Unmanned Combat Ground Vehicle).

Powerful, effective, but also temperamental, often hacked ever since I first saw them with my own eyes. But how in the age of increasingly high cost of manned weaponry, unmanned systems were the only way to offset some of it, added with our own inherent disadvantages in population compared to the Chinese as well as in land mass.

Exercises did not just meant manned targets; in fact almost 60 percent of our training were dedicated in countering bots. And speaking of unmanned targets....

"Eagle 6 to all units; we got enemy infantry with crawlers, two with AT missiles, target their robot first!"

"Switch to .50 cal, .50 cal!" With the thin armor of most UGVs, heavy machine guns are the most logical choice to engage them. We also keep in touch with the divisional electronic warfare boys and girls who were triangulating the whereabouts of the simulated enemy robot controllers mounted on vehicles or more often concealed on buildings or wooden areas; in the fashion of how artillery observers and snipers camouflaging themselves on the field.

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2/LT Kaori Arima

The future fighting was clear from the start of my career that it won't be like what some of our people had seen in 1999; Kousei's father in particular.

They had no autonomous combat robots to accompany them; we have. And so far, our Type 24 companions did their job. Hiccups would be always there, but it's the only way forward. And the challenge was the teaming up process, fighting alongside the robots. In comparison, securing the flanks of our tanks were marginally easier.

I adjusted my sensors including the main tactical glass and gave the order. "1st squad, clear that building. I am sending one sentry robot to back you."

Right now, we had dismounted from our troop carriers, and with an attached turretless variant of it containing controllers for the combat robots, I had ordered my troopers to disperse; two squad will cover the 1st squad to clear a building; a typical Japanese small mixed use office building.

"Breaching!" They was the first to enter, the squad's leader Sergeant Fujiko Morishima, a regular serviceman, was the first to enter, while I followed with my RTO from behind, positioning myself for optimal situational awareness.

In hand to hand combat, Morishima was the best in the platoon, being a former motorbike gang member back in Tokyo before he underwent an about face and enlisted voluntarily, while my best shooters were Private Seiji Nakajima and Private Eri Mizutani, both were equipped with German-made Heckler and Koch G28s.

And sure he did; clearing the building with only one simulated casualty for the good guys, before I head to the upper level of the building, Type 20 ready. Below, one of the platoon's troop carrier opened fire at a target identified by one of our tethered UAVs, adding to the layer of 24 hours surveillance. Followed by the squad and I inside the building, engaging targets of opportunity.

Rise, rinse, and repeat.

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2/LT Kousei Arima

An army marched on it's stomach, and part of military life - or "special civil servant" as many folks still call defense services as - was to get yourself used to MREs. By the midday a general halt was ordered, so at the time Watari found us some covered rest position, Kitazawa had already engaged the boiling vessel; the tank's electric kettle, not just hot water for tea, but also soups, MRE rations, coffee, you name it. Finally, it's small enough to be tucked in the back.

Time to dig in, still inside the tank.

"Itadakimasu!" (Let's eat)

"Gochisousama" (Thank you for the food)

Being the commander, I am the one to invoke the benediction after I prayed personally according to my faith.

We had a budding small home inside steel and composites as stories were told.

"You know, it's really something to train to fight powered by mostly our own, or friendly, oil, Lieutenant."

I chuckled a smile as Watari finished the sentence. As much as he and I are best friends, hierarchy speaks here.

"Indeed. Most of the time, it's all from the Middle East before COVID."

"... the Niigata fields, and Minamitorishima Deep Sea Mine were a godsend." stated Kitazawa, "Honestly, through... I understand their desperation for oil ever since hackers destroyed their newest refinery and pipelines connecting them with oil and gas-rich Russia and Kazakhstan all the way into Middle East pipelines."

"Agree, Sergeant... ever since the Houthis, in their last hurrah, managed to blow up Saudi's biggest refinery and then the civil war in Iran, luckily the monarchists won..."

"Don't forget rare earth and other metals like nickel, stuffs that we need for solar panels, deep sea turbines, and batteries like what here our tanks and vehicles are using... China's own environment has been fu*ked up good in their quest to dominate its supply, especially with right now we're basically self sufficient."

"America, Australia, (D.R) Congo, Canada, Mozambique, Botswana, France, Namibia, Greenland and Denmark, South Africa, Rwanda, and Indonesia had also profited from those little things. Bottom line; Colonel Okazaki had told us that the push of (renewable) new energy had caused more conflict than cooperation."

Both crew nodded in reply.

As they sip their tea, my eyes were on the gunner. "We are only three months here, and our intensive exercises preclude us to know each other more. Sergeant, you are the only regular here compared to Watari and I who are draftees. So, tell me, why do you sign up?"

"My drill instructor asked that it too when I entered basic two years ago, sir, and I answered him like this; Sir, I got lost on my way to college, sir."

"Did he bang your head after that, Sergeant?"

Hitomi laughed. "Not like in that movie, through. But yes, he was really pissed off with my answer and told me to give him 25 push-ups."

Watari later replied. "That's interesting. Who was your drill instructor, then, sergeant?"

"To be honest, First Sergeant Yoshimitsu Suga woke up my desire to be successful here in the Army with his love. One of the few who've landed at Senkaku to take it back in 1999 as part of the 1st Airborne Brigade. Tough piece of a man."

"Ah, he was my drill sergeant too!"

"That's surprising, Watari." Kitazawa replied. "But again, he was a good man. Better than my own father, and I mean it."

"Oh, we're sorry." This time it's my turn to speak. "Anyway, what happened?"

"Basically, he was my father's figure of some sort, and a lot of his wisdom helped me to finally get things back in order with my real dad. Thanks to his heavy drinking, he often beat me and my mother up to the point that I ran away from home twice during high school. And only when I graduated from basic, he finally admit his fault, get himself treated, and with the help of a charity, established a new life with my mother in Minoh, in Osaka."

"Good to know." I asked again. "I remember you said that you got a little brother. How's him now?"

"Being one of the engineers of the Port of Yokohama, he's always busy, especially in times like this. The last time he called me and my parents was two days ago, but I know he's okay. For obvious reasons, he's exempted."

"Anyway, not to ruin the mood, but those who want to take care of our natural business, we have 5 minutes left."

"Yes, sir." snapped both Kitazawa and Watari. The former groaned "I almost forget that I am in a need to relieve myself..."

I did the same too as I took an empty plastic bottle.

When break ended, the order came: resume maneuver. Engines roared back to life. Tracks bit into soil. Targets appeared on the horizon. And our work has now been accompanied by the inevitable smell of human waste permeating the tank's interior.

Multiple voices rung inside my head, those of my instructors back at Fuji School, in this very soil.

"Your tank is your home, you eat, you sleep, you laugh, you cry, and you'll piss and shit inside it. To leave it unattended without authorization is the greatest sin of a tanker, just like how you won't leave your home unlocked when you go out... And finally, if it's necessary, you'll die with it. just like how you will defend your home from burglars and robbers."

We rode into the fire, into uncertainty, into the only future possibly left for us...

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Notes and Glossary:

(1). In real life, the 5th Brigade is a JGSDF unit based on Obihiro, North Eastern Hokkaido under command of Northern Army. But as this is alternate history, I took liberty and made them part of Eastern Army in Tokyo instead!

(2). About possibility of tanks and robot team-up; https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-armys-m1-abrams-and-robot-tanks-fighting-side-side-185541

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a32947926/type-x-robot-combat-vehicle/

(3). Regimental Combat Team: A Japanese ground combat battalion (regiment) that has both tank and infantry companies and supporting arms, influenced by US Army doctrine about how battalions seldom fight as pure tank or infantry units. It's American equivalent is Task Force, the British used the word Battlegroup, the French called theirs Combined Arms Tactical Group (GTIA in French), the Russians used terminology Battalion Tactical Group and China simply called theirs Battalion Group.

(4). Team: A company‑sized unit that includes both tank and mechanized infantry platoons, a subunit to Regimental Combat Team mentioned above. Unlike a peacetime company, the number and type of platoons in a team can vary according to its assigned mission.